Love Me Back to Life
by LoveIsAlways
Summary: Oh I was a fool to think a worldly man could love the naïve daughter of a renowned doctor. I had thought, no, hoped that after seeing his true face without fleeing it would have been enough… but I was wrong. I wish I had died! Why the train didn't kill me like I intended it to, I'll never know. Just please oh please someone have mercy on my shattered heart.
1. What Have I Become?

I thought the impact would carry me straight into death, but the sterile shot of air exploding into my lungs was a pointed reminder of how very wrong I was. Slowly, I released the air while inside my mind I repeatedly questioned why I had survived, it made absolutely no sense, because how many people could honestly say that they've jumped in front of a train and lived? That's what I thought – no one; yet, here I am lying on this cold – and _uncomfortable_ – flat object and…

_Oh dear lord I'm _naked.

Tentatively lifting my head, I looked down at my body and took notice of the considerably paler skin tone, and the unnatural stiffness to my limbs. In response to this revelation I flexed my toes and briefly closed my eyes in relief that I could, in fact, move my legs. Above me I heard a frantic scratching and I drew my attentions there. The more I concentrated the louder the scratching became, and then the dripping faucet came in and it sounded as if a gong was sounding two inches away from my ears. My hands flew up and pressed against the sides of my head, barely even muffling the sounds and then I squeezed my eyes shut – willing the noise away. Then it stopped, and all was silent, but when I looked over I could see the faucet dripping. I sat up and turned myself so I was facing the wall with the sink, my legs fell to the floor one by one and I cautiously made my way over to the sink where I then twisted the taps and the water drops ceased. Casually, I opened and closed the cupboard doors and the drawers to see what was inside. Occasionally, I would pick up and inspect the little tools that struck my fancy, and it wasn't until I came to a large drawer located beside a shelf with sterilizing equipment that I realized where I was. There was a large assortment of tweezers with varying length hands; there were different shaped metallic knives as, well as other ghastly tools. It appeared that I had woken up in a morgue.

_But I'm not dead! Why would they take me to a morgue of all places? A simple hospital would suffice!_

A cold shiver raked through my body and I crossed my arms while looking around for something to cover up with. In the corner, a white coat hung from a wooden stand and I recognized it as a Doctor's coat. _Just like my dad's_,I thought while slipping it on, a small but painful smile pulling on my lips. My fingers worked the buttons into the holes and I rolled the sleeves up as they were much too long, and then I walked through the large swinging doors and wandered into the hallways to see if there was anyone who could help me. There wasn't. However, that did not keep me from wondering further, my innate curiosity getting the better of me, as always. Gathering from the looks of the rustic brick walls and the dampness in the air, I understood that I was in the basement of an unknown building. There were three hallways; one that led straight down to the room I woke up in, and two separate ones that broke off horizontally, one leading to an extraordinarily clustered office and the second leading to a locked door. A peek through the window showed some sort of storage room, with quite a few small metal doors. I would have liked to go in, but since there had been no key in the office I decided to go back to the large room at the end of the hall. I was confused to say the least, and cold. I must have been down here for some time because this cold has caused a discomfort in the back of my throat, not to mention a sudden dryness and oddly enough, a burning in the pit of my stomach.

It was then that I wandered back into the main artery of the morgue. I sat down in a stiff chair that was paired with a small desk that I had not noticed before and I rested my head in my hand allowing my eyes to squeeze shut. The confusion I woke up to was at the back of my mind; now, all I could think about was that stupid letter.

_I do not love you; to be honest, I never did.._

Oh I was a fool to think a worldly man could love the naïve daughter of a renowned Doctor. I had thought, no, _hoped_ that after seeing his true face without fleeing it would have been enough… but I was wrong. I wish I had died! Why the train didn't kill me like I intended it to, I'll never know. Just please oh please someone have mercy on my shattered heart.

_You were a game so easily won._

A broken sob escaped my lips and I pressed my knuckles to them, my front teeth digging into the skin, tears dripping from my chin. _Damn you!_ I thought savagely, _What could I have possibly done to deserve this heartache_?

_A game easily won is a game I grow bored with._

My arm swung back and the plastic stand of papers that was on the desk crashed to the floor, _I should never have opened my heart to you_, my mind screamed hopelessly and I glanced down at my right hand, just noticing the missing ring now. I shot up and scrounged viciously through the storage cupboards in the morgue, sending drawers filled with tools, masks and gloves crashing to the ground and it wasn't until I found the last drawer of a small table beside the door and opened it that I could relax. There in a small plastic dish was the white pearl and moonstone ring that I had worn for two years, never once taking it off. Slipping it on, I allowed a wry smile to cross my lips and I sighed to myself, _I suppose I could keep this one little happy memory, _and gently I begun to spin the ring around my finger, almost possessively. I was so engrossed in the action that I did not hear the tentative footsteps enter the room. It was not the sound of the person entering, but the persons smell, as if the person had bathed in perfume. My mouth watered and I turned around to face the middle aged man standing in the middle of the room with a look of horror on his face.

"I apologize for the mess -."

"How are you still _alive_?"

I swallowed through the dryness in my mouth and tried not to focus on the tantalizing smell that filled the room. "I don't know why I'm still alive," I said more to myself than to the doctor, and then my head turned slightly when I caught an unfamiliar sound.

"D-do you hear that?"

The doctor looked frightened to his wits end; he was pale like he had seen a ghost and his eyes were wide as they stared at me. I listened closely, not really paying attention to the man and then my eyes snapped to him, "Is that your heart beat?"

I heard his breath hitch in his throat and I looked at him in wonder, "I can hear your heartbeat…"

It was then that I noticed the large white bandage on his hand and the gruesome red line that appeared across it. My throat tightened and the burning in the pit of my stomach returned and then I understood that it wasn't him that I smelled, but his blood. I felt my heart twist when I realized that I _wanted _to drink his blood and my stomach churned both in disgust and in anticipation because I couldn't really help if the scent of his blood smelled like the sugary baked tops of my mother's apple pies. I took a step forward and then another, followed by a third and a forth. The closer I went, the stronger the smell became but the doctor kept backing away from me – and that irritated me.

It happened in a blur. The doctor was quick to snatch up one of the silver knives from the floor and he held it out in front of him, brandishing it like a miniature sword. I giggled slightly, but I suppose the context made it sound much more sinister and malevolent because I heard his heartbeat speed up. I lunged and the doctor swiped at me, catching me on the arm but my hand gripped the wrist of the hand the knife was in tightly and I used my body weight to propel him backwards; his back hit the counter with a loud thud. I yanked on his wrist once and smashed it against the cupboard doors and he groaned, dragging the mangled wrist to his chest. A gruesome snarl split my lips and I opened my mouth, bringing his neck closer. I felt my gums itch and a foreign pulling sensation and then my teeth were buried in the man's throat. I could hear his gurgling screams, I could feel his adamant protests, but I just didn't care. The taste of his blood was pure and utter ecstasy. It was power.

I ripped my face away from his flesh with a gasp and dropped his lifeless body to the floor. Standing there with my chest heaving and the power still throbbing throughout my body I stared blankly at the wall for a period of time before I recognized the frantic shouts and thundering footsteps of men over head. I swallowed hard and glanced at the mirror above the sink, taking a startled step backwards when I caught sight of the reflection. There stood a young girl, broken into pieces by a man she carelessly trusted to hold her heart; a girl with a gore smeared mouth. And for the second time that night, I was wrong. I was no longer a girl.

_What the hell have I become?_

And then, I was gone.


	2. An Invitation

My eyes snapped open as the final moments of my first kill faded away and I stared blankly at the ceiling of the car I sat in. The knot of pain in both my heart and stomach has returned and I tried to swallow through the bitter bile, but faced a lot of difficulty in doing so because only until about three years ago my humanity switch had been in the off position. A century without emotions is a long time to live and I think turning them back on was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. One hundred years of suppressed confusion, rage and above all heartbreak is almost too much for a single person to feel all in one go; but it helps to focus my rage on just one person. It wasn't until the twenties that I learned who had ruined my life. It was his sister, Rebekah, who revealed that the man I had met at the train station was actually named Klaus Mikaelson, the bastard who ruined any chance of me living a normal human life. The very same bastard who has been wrecking havoc on the lives of my friends.

Of course I had never revealed to Rebekah how Klaus and I knew each other; we had been friends – fairly good friends, I have to admit – but when I learned that she and Klaus were siblings I became more hesitant in revealing my past to her. It wasn't really because I didn't trust her, it was him I didn't trust, and I had heard stories about the Original family and their uncanny knack for getting whatever they wanted, when they wanted and at whatever cost.

I growled, violently pulling down the mirror above me when a stiff envelope fell onto my lap and then to my feet, I peered at it with an eyebrow raised and then bent forward to pick it up. The material of the envelope felt expensive in itself and I was careful opening it, afraid to damage what was inside. A card in an elegant shade of off-white slipped out and I read out loud.

"Please join the Mikaelson Family this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails and celebrations." I scoffed loudly and threw the invitation onto the seat beside me. Quickly I looked at my watch and let my head fall back against the seat; I wasn't supposed to go up to the house for another half hour and all this waiting was extremely boring.

_I suppose I could pick up a dress when I finish_.

I mentally slapped myself for even considering going to this pompous event, it would be like delivering myself into the gaping maw of a pack of wolves with a pretty little bow on my head. _On the other hand_, I thought to myself, _it would be rude to decline an invitation from the Original Family of vampires…_

_What do you care if they think it's rude? _

My shoulders rotated in agitation and I tilted my head from side to side, physically trying to keep at bay the small voice inside of my head; the voice that almost always seemed to be right.

_Maybe you just want to see him again…_

My face pressed into my shaking hands again and I giggled hysterically, one hundred years and that goddamn Mikaelson family still had control over my heart. Dragging my hands down my face I groaned loudly, and then reached for my phone which began to buzz the second it got into my hand. One glance at the display screen and I smiled widely.

"Good morning, Mr. Salvatore, and to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"_I've been looking everywhere for you, where are you?" _

I chuckled to myself and checked the time on my watch again, another twenty minutes until show time. "I'm out of town for the day, Damon. What did you need?"

_"Well I gathered as much Olivia!" _he huffed into the phone.

"Is there a purpose to this call, Damon? Or are you simply bored and looking for entertainment?" I inquired dryly while looking at the chipped edges of my nail polish.

_"A bit of both, I suppose," _he drawled and I rolled my eyes.

"Well clearly I'm not in the vicinity to entertain you; perhaps you would like to move on to the second part of your business?"

_"You're in an unpleasant mood, today…"_

"Damon!"

He sighed heavily,_ "Elena received an invitation to a Mikaelson Event tonight. Apparently Momma Witch wants to rendezvous with Elena. Stefan and I have invited ourselves to attend with her. I just wanted to let you know."_

I eyed the invitation on my seat, the familiar knowing pit of curiosity forming in my stomach. What could the Original witch want with my friend? After a time, I muttered my response, "I received one too. It was slipped under my door yesterday evening."

_"By who?"_

I shrugged and then remembered he couldn't see me, "No idea. Perhaps Klaus is choosing me to play his games with for a change." I grimaced to myself in the mirror, I had already been the subject of one of his games, and I was not in any rush to be so again.

I took Damon's silence to mean his being in agreement and then he spoke again, _"you never answered me, where are you exactly?"_

"New York, on business."

_"What sort of business – boy business?" _I did not appreciate the suggestive tone.

"That's none of your concern. Besides, if it were, you jealous or something?" I spat at him and he laughed loudly on the other end.

_"Liv, for two people who have seen _so much_ of each other, I should expect you to be truthful with me." _Damon purred into the phone. I could practically hear the smirk on his face.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and glowered darkly at the screen which displayed a picture that Damon had taken of himself… with nothing but a towel on. I had wanted to change it just to spite him, but a small part of me enjoyed the image.

Begrudgingly I put the phone back to my ear to find that Damon was still talking, _"to be honest Liv, I'm beginning to think you're embarrassed by our relationship-."_

"Relationship!? Damon, as much as I love that you warm my bed on occasional nights, that does not make me obligated to tell you about what errands I run."

"_So you admit that you love me."_

Oh for crying out loud! I mouthed. "You are such an arrogant shit, Damon Salvatore! If you really want to know what I'm doing, fine, chew on this: I'm following a lead that may or may not help us deal with the Klaus problem." I hung up on him with that and stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I bitterly stewed upon the conversation; that man has a lot of nerve thinking he's obligated to an explanation regarding my whereabouts. So what if we slept together? It was one time!

_More like five times_ my subconscious corrected obnoxiously and I spun around furiously to lean against the car door, as my face buried itself in my hands again. _Why does sex have to complicate everything?_ I asked myself and then blearily stared at my watch. Ten minutes until my appointment and I decided I was not going to wait any longer. Shoving my phone into the pocket of my leather coat and stalking up the stone pathway to the large Victorian townhouse, I focused on what I had learned from my previous appointments and lifted my fist up to knock on the heavy mahogany door with the golden eagle head knocker.

It was not needed; however, because the heavy door swung open and a young woman stood there dressed in black. She wore a long necklace that was decorated with varying types of gemstones and rocks that represented magical properties. I forced myself to maintain a relaxed position and I eased my lips into my most charming smile. Sure, witches could be helpful when they wanted to, but almost every one of them could be manipulative when it suited them – and I didn't trust them one bit.

"Olivia," the young black haired woman smiled with perfect teeth, "I see you found the place. Not too much trouble I presume?"

"No, not at all," I hummed pleasantly and if it were possible, the woman only smiled wider.

"Forgive the abrupt change in location, we want to remain hidden for as long as possible," a new voice floated from behind the young woman and I smiled a true smile at him. "Well enough chit chat," the man crowed and he clapped his hands once, "let's get started!"

I looked at the door frame pointedly and the young woman jumped, "Oh, how rude of me. Please, come in."

Smiling gratefully, I carefully stepped over the threshold and into the house, where the young woman closed the door behind me.

~O~

Elijah strolled down the main stairs with a calculating gaze. Below him, many caterers were busy preparing for tonight's event and he watched them with vague interest. When he reached the main floor he headed in the direction of the dining room, the room in which he had watched his family take out small bits of revenge on Niklaus after the daggers had been removed from their hearts. The only one of his siblings missing was Finn, who was most likely aiding their mother. Rebekah sat at the table, mindlessly looking through one of her many magazines; she was no doubt fishing for a hairstyle for that night. Klaus was positioned beside her with all the power of a coiled jungle cat ready to spring. He had a goblet of what Elijah assumed was blood on the table, and he casually sipped at it while reading from a fairly large book on his lap. As Elijah took a seat opposite of his siblings, his youngest brother, Kol walked in with a glass half filled with amber liquid already in his hand.

Elijah smiled wryly, "Drinking already, Kol?"

The youngest brother brought his lips up in a lopsided smirk and pressed the glass to his lips in response. Elijah shook his head in slight amusement.

"Perhaps you should hold off until tonight. I believe Mother would be displeased if you showed up well on your way to inebriation."

Kol tossed his shoulders carelessly, "The party will be dull as it is. I'm simply livening it up before it even gets started."

"It would be improper of you to do so," Klaus commented dryly and Kol shot him a challenging stare. Catching the tail end of the look, Klaus continued, "But by all means, proceed with whatever makes you happiest, brother."

Kol lifted his glass, tipping it towards his brother and took another drink. "The way I see it, you all have dates – which means you'll be tied down to one person for the night whereas I have the freedom to move between women."

Rebekah looked up from her page and faced Kol with a blank stare, the corners of her lips turning down slightly, "I'm sure there'll be plenty of desperate women to satisfy your needs, Kol."

Klaus chuckled to himself over his sister's snarky comment.

"Perhaps you should start getting ready for tonight, Rebekah. You'll need all the time in the world to make your face presentable. I would suggest a nap too, while you're at it."

Rebekah's mouth dropped in fury and she moved to where her brother stood, where she proceeded to smack him repeatedly with the magazine. Kol laughed loudly and shoved her playfully where she responded with a final smack with the magazine, and then disappeared up the stairs. Kol took another drink from his glass and sat down in the seat his sister had just left.

"Who did you decide to bring tonight, Elijah?" Klaus asked without looking up from his page. Elijah knew his brother wasn't truly interested in who he brought to the event, it was merely Klaus' way of being nosy for the sake of his own interests. Kol, however, looked to his eldest brother with an exaggerated look of curiosity, a look of sarcasm that only Kol could pull off.

"She's a friend of both Elena and Caroline," Elijah started, the use of Caroline's name made Klaus look up. "I thought it would be appropriate to invite her as well."

Klaus leaned forward to grasp the goblet of blood with his eyebrows raised, "is she a _special_ friend of yours?"

"Of course not!" Elijah protested, "We've only spoken a handful of times. However, I admire her honesty, although brutal and uncalled for most of the time, admired all the same."

"Sounds like you like her, Elijah," Kol teased, a troublemaker grin splitting his lips and Elijah returned the look with a stern one of his own.

Returning the goblet to the table, along with the book, Klaus then sat back with his hands clasped on his lap. "And what is the name of this friend of Caroline whom I have not met?" There was a possessive undertone to his statement that neither Kol nor Elijah missed.

Shaking his head at his brother, Elijah stood from the table and smoothed out the front of his jacket. "Her name is Olivia. Olivia Knight."

There was a loud bang of glass hitting wood and both Klaus and Elijah turned to stare at Kol who had just slammed his glass down, his hand still resting on the top.

"What…was her name?" He asked slowly with a look of dismay.

"Olivia Knight. Are you acquainted with this young lady?"

Kol stood up abruptly from the table with a dark look in his eyes, his hand brought his glass back to his lips and he tossed the final mouthful of amber liquid down his throat, a small trickle of it escaping from the corner of his mouth. "No. No I haven't known her for a very long time." Kol's voice was hoarse from the burn of the alcohol but that didn't disguise the pain in his voice, "excuse me," he muttered, and quickly left the room.

Elijah looked at Klaus with astonishment, unsure of how to handle this reaction from his ladie's-man brother. However, Klaus did not share this look. Klaus' eyes betrayed an understanding and a flash of fear over his brother's reaction. It seemed that Klaus had some inside information about this girl and whatever was between her and Kol, Elijah was determined to figure it out.


	3. Dance With the Devil

**WARNING!: This scene contains mature content, if you are not interested in reading smut, please continue to read after the page break "~O~".**

I had difficulty opening the door when I got home at about three in the afternoon. Trying to balance a large box under my arm, my purse and two bags with shoes and accessories in them proved to be a more trying task than originally thought. I grunted unattractively as I tried to get the bags on my arm to move up further so I could reach into my pocket for my keys. When I finally grabbed them after an eternity of fumbling, I clumsily unlocked the door and pushed it open with my hip. I stumbled inside and kicked the door shut, dropping all my bags onto the floor and setting the box down on the steps that led into a concave living room. I groaned out of exhaustion and headed towards the couch with my keys still in hand, mentally calculating how much time I needed to get ready to see if I had time for a nap. This plan was thwarted, however, when a cheerful voice carried in from the kitchen.

"Long day?"

I jumped and dropped my keys on the carpet before turning around to face a smug looking Damon who cradled a glass of what appeared to be whisky in his hand.

"How the hell'd you get into my house?" I implored with a look of confusion as I carefully went to join him in the kitchen.

"Charmed my way in, like I do with every situation," he smiled widely and I rolled my eyes. "I take it you found a dress," he continued after a pause and I looked over at the large white box wrapped with a burgundy ribbon.

"I did," I said, pouring myself a glass of whisky and I took a gentle sip, allowing the cool liquid to burn down my throat. "I surprised myself too, usually dress shopping is like an eternity in the seventh circle of hell for me – it actually went by easy today."

Damon set his glass down on the island counter and walked closely behind me his body pointedly brushing up against my back. "Can I see it?" He hummed into my ear, his voice like silk to my ears. He began to walk backwards in the box's direction with a provocative smirk on his lips but I appeared in front of him before he could turn around. My hands curled around the edges of his leather jacket.

"You're going to have to wait for tonight," I whispered into his ear, pushing my chest against his own to distract him, and then grabbed the box and took it upstairs before he could open his mouth again.

When I returned from upstairs Damon was sitting on the large couch in my living room with his legs crossed at the ankle and his arms spread over the back of the couch. His head was leaned back but he lifted it when he heard me reenter and looked over to me, his bright blue eyes glinting with mischief. I smirked at him and walked into the kitchen to finish my drink and then I turned, so my back faced him in order to wash my glass. I knew Damon didn't like to be ignored for too long, and my stunt did the trick, because it wasn't long before I felt him come up behind me, his arms snaking under my own thus trapping me between the kitchen counter and his front.

Damon then dragged his hands up my arms, his chin resting on my shoulder. His fingers curled underneath the lips of my jacket where he then slowly pulled it over my shoulders and off my arms, eventually dropping it to the floor. He touched his lips to the bared skin of my shoulder and I smiled when his arms came back to circle around my waist. My back was now flush with his front and I leaned into him a little and tilted my neck to the side, inviting his lips to claim it. Damon pressed tender kisses across my shoulder and my neck in the direction towards the hollow beneath my ear and when his teeth grazed that hallow, I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

"Damon, what are we doing?" Immediately I closed my eyes and mentally screamed at myself for always ruining good things.

But Damon was having none of it and I felt his breath on my ear with his whisper. "I don't know about you," he purred as he spun me around and backed me up against the counter, "but I've been going through withdrawal." His fingers hooked through the belt loops of my jeans and he pulled my hips into his, making a point to grind up against me.

"I can feel that," I teased, my hands coming around to slide down the back pockets of his jeans. I pulled him closer to me making sure to cup my hands around his ass as I relished the feel of his hardness against my pelvis. "You realize it's been less than twenty-four hours since you saw me, right?" I smirked as his eyes darkened into a lusty shade of royal blue.

Again he pressed his lips to the curve of my throat, "You realize that," he muttered and then pressed his lips to the hollow under my ear, "I have a short attention span." His lips moved under my jaw, "and that I get extremely bored, very easily." His lips firmly planted against mine and then he pulled away with a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

I bit my lip and leaned up to press my lips against the side of his jaw. My hands slipped under his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders and guiding it down his arms and onto the floor. His hand came up and wove into the hair at the nape of my neck and pulled slightly to tilt my head back; his other hand came to rest at the side of my neck his thumb rubbing small circles by my ear. "What do you want?" he whispered, his lips were so close to mine that when they curled around the 'you' they brushed against mine.

I swallowed hard and my hands went to the hem of his shirt where my fingers began to gently pull it up over his stomach. "Kiss me," I murmured as my fingers pushed the button of his jeans through the hole.

"I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Damon Salvatore. I want you to kiss me."

His lips split into a wide grin, "Well, all you had to do was say so," and our mouths crashed together. The hand that was at my throat moved downwards and wrapped around my waist, and his mouth moved feverishly against my own. I smiled against his lips and guided my hands up his bare torso underneath his shirt and then peeled it off; it fell to the floor like his jacket did. My hands cupped around his neck and then fisted into his hair, drawing him even closer to me and his lips broke away from mine and moved down to my throat. I gasped for breath, my chest heaving and I groaned loudly when his human teeth pressed against the supple flesh above my breast. My finger nails dragged up his spine and I felt him arch into me, his eyes coming up to lock on mine.

I didn't look away – correction: I _couldn't_ look away from his dark sultry windows that claimed my flaming embers. We breathed heavily in unison staring hungrily into each other's eyes and then he pulled my shirt over my head and my arms came up to snake around his neck, my lips claiming his. He pulled my bottom lip between his teeth and bit gently causing me to I open my mouth. Damon wasted no time in invading my mouth, just as I propelled us forward until his back hit the island. He growled darkly and his hands smoothed down my back and over my ass; he then cupped the underside of it and lifted me up. I slid up his body so my bra clad breasts pressed against his chest and my legs wrapped around his waist. He spun around so I could sit on the island and he moved swiftly between my legs and all the while our tongues battled for occupancy in the other's mouth.

His fingers worked diligently with the clasp of my bra, eventually freeing me from it and he wasted no time in relieving me of it. The air was colder without a shirt on and I felt my nipples tighten in response. Damon's hands then cupped underneath my breasts, his fingers kneading and slowly and massaging carefully and I arched into him, a moan escaping my lips. As one hand continued to massage, the other gently pulled and twisted my nipple, coaxing a whimper out of me. He grinned against my lips before pulling away and resting his forehead against mine. His eyes captured mine and we stared at each other as his hands continued to work their magic, and soon his other hand began to work on my other nipple and my head fell back, sending the dark brown and blonde strands over my shoulders. I breathed heavily and closed my eyes for a time but I was quickly brought back when I felt the warm wetness of his mouth close around my nipple. My head snapped forward and my hand curled into his dark strands. My breath came out in short pants and every time his tongue circled around my nipple it sent shockwaves between my legs.

My other hand roped into his hair and I dragged him back up to my face, where my lips latched back onto his. His hands deftly worked at the button and zipper of my jeans and his hand lifted me up so he could pull them down my legs. They pooled to the ground and Damon slid them away with his foot and then reattached his lips to mine, his hands pulling at the zipper of his own jeans and together, we pushed them past his hips. He stepped out of them and pushed them off to the side and then I hooked my fingers under the waist line of my panties and pulled them down, his boxers followed shortly and then, there he was, before me, naked in all he glory. I chewed on my lip and then kissed him slowly and he returned the sensuality, his hands curving around the backs of my knees and pulling me forward. I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist. He moved back and carried me over to the couch, his mouth still moving slowly with mine, his tongue stroking my own as my fingers curled into his hair. Gently, he laid me down on the couch and settled in between my legs. His hand curled around my throat, under my jaw and his fingers laced into my hair and then his other hand moved slowly down my front, stopping at my breast to pull at my nipple and then skating down my belly before pressing gently between my legs. I groaned loudly against his mouth and arched my back. He grinned, his lips breaking from mine to bury themselves into my neck, while his hand slipped underneath me to press into my lower back.

"Damon," I moaned, my hips coming up to his, as his teeth nipped at my earlobe sending a chill down my spine. He hummed teasingly at my ear and I grinded against his pelvis again, this time, this time I managed to coax a moan from his lips. He shifted his hips and suddenly he was inside of me, making my breath catch in my throat like it always does. His hips moved slowly at first but they quickly gained speed and he rose up onto his forearms to look me in the eyes. Damon slowed his hips down to a constant thrust and I lifted my legs to wrap them around his waist, my arms circling his neck as I pressed my forehead to his shoulder. My mouth started to curve around and my breathing started to quicken. Damon, too, was panting and his hair swayed with his movements, his teeth bit down on my shoulder and I moaned, my nails dragging up his spine. I could feel the buildup of pressure between my legs and because the grip my legs had on his waist tightened, Damon was alerted of my impending climax.

"Come on, Liv. Cum for me." He growled into my ear and with a final thrust everything came crashing down around me. Damon collapsed with heavy breaths onto my chest and I wrapped my arms around his torso, my own chest heaving.

It was a while before either of us could speak and I stared up at the ceiling, my fingers mindlessly tracing patterns on Damon's back. Eventually he lifted his torso and looked down at me with his typical sly smirk on his face, "So?" he asked and I raised my eyebrow.

"So…"

"How was I in warming your couch?" His eyebrows jumped suggestively and I giggled, remembering what I had told him about loving that he warmed my bed.

"It was good," I grinned and kissed him once on the lips.

"Just good?" he pouted and I slapped him on the ass.

"Get off; I need to get ready for the party tonight!"

Damon grumbled and maneuvered himself off of me and sat down at my feet. I stood up from the couch and stretched my arms above my head, my naked backside facing Damon, and he swatted at it.

I spun around and leaned down into his face, my arms supporting my weight on the back of the couch. I pressed my lips gently to his and he kissed back and then I pulled away, "Go home and get ready, Damon. I can't have you distracting me from my bath." He grinned and stood as I straightened up and I watched him walk to the kitchen, where he began putting his clothes back on.

When he stood at the door he turned around and winked at me, "Thanks for the entertainment!" He called out and I smirked.

"Any time."

Then he disappeared out the door. The smile that had been on my face fell when I remembered what I was walking into tonight, in contrast with what had just happened with Damon. I sighed deeply then collected the bags with my shoes and accessories, as well as my clothes from the kitchen, and headed upstairs.

~O~

I stopped short of the main entrance to the Mikaelson Mansion and contemplated actually going inside. Technically, I could still leave and remain unscathed. I would also save myself from strenuous aggravation. _Just get in there you big suck!_ I thought to myself and then took in a large breath to prepare myself. Three big breaths later, I finally walked in and it was as if the doormen knew because the doors were magically opened as I stepped in. I was thankful for all the air in my lungs because the room I stepped into was absolutely breathtaking. It was gorgeous and elegant and sophisticated all at the same time, yet somehow I still felt like I was insulting the interior with these mediocre words.

A swift glance around the room and I spotted Caroline and Elena speaking quietly to each other off to the side. Stefan, as always, was never too far from Elena but I did notice the distance between them. _Perhaps Elena wasn't lying_, I thought in amazement, _maybe they really did break up_, and then I saw Damon who looked up just as my eyes fell on him. I felt a wave of heat rise up my body and I knew if I could, I would be blushing. I watched him lean in towards Caroline and Elena to excuse himself and they both watched him saunter my away. Caroline spotted me first and waved excitedly while Elena broke into a grin.

"You look absolutely stunning," Damon gushed while taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. As flattering as the compliment was, the note of surprise was easy to detect.

"I can't help but be offended by your tone of astonishment, Mr. Salvatore."

He smiled wolfishly and spun me around slowly to take in the black and red strapless gown I wore. "You never wear dresses, or skirts, for that matter. It's a change that I'm still getting used to."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect me to wear? Jeans?!" I demanded and he wrapped my arm around his and began to lead me towards Caroline and Elena.

"You know what," he whispered into my ear, "I actually half expected you to."

I slapped his arm with my other hand and laughed loudly, my painted red lips clashing well with the brightness of my teeth.

"Olivia! You look gorgeous," Caroline raved when we reached the little group; by this time Stefan had left his chat with the Mayor and Matt had wandered over, away from Rebekah.

I waved my hand at her, "Please, I needed a lot of help picking this out. But where did you get yours?" I inquired while pulling gently at the fabric to admire its glitter.

"Klaus." Came her simple answer and my lips pressed into a thin line at his mention. I was not entirely pleased with Klaus' attempted courtship of my friend; I knew she could handle herself against him but I absolutely despised the thought of him with her.

"You look beautiful, Liv," Elena admitted, her warm smile meeting her large brown eyes.

I was not sure why Elena seemed uneasy around me; I had never given her any reason to be. I grinned back at her and took her silken gloved hands in mine. "This colour is stunning on you; I should be so inclined to believe that we are the most stunning young women in the room. Well," I trailed off, "the two of you would be considered young." I winked and the uneasiness seemed to disappear from Elena's posture.

"I hope you'll reconsider myself to be a part of that group, Olivia."

I turned slowly while removing my arm from Damon's to face Rebekah Mikaelson in a stunning green dress. Her eyebrows were raised in expectation and the corners of her mouth were turned down a little and I smiled widely, before embracing her.

"It's been a long time, Bekah, " I confessed and she returned the hug generously.

"You seem different," Rebekah commented, her hand resting on my shoulder, "the last time we met you didn't smile nearly as much."

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Emotions will do that to you."

There was tightness to her smile that showed her understanding and then glanced back at Caroline and Elena, her gaze narrowing. It was then that Elijah showed up behind her his arm coming to circle around his sister's shoulders, and he gave me a warm half smile.

"Olivia, so glad you came."

I inclined my head and reached out to shake his hand but typical Elijah brought my hand to his lips, "I trust you've been well?"

"Yes, thank you. And yourself?"

"Much better now that I and my other siblings are no longer daggered and stowed in boxes," he commented darkly with an uncharacteristic bitterness to his tone.

I looked between brother and sister and I caught the simmering glare Rebekah shot at Elena.

"Please excuse us," Elijah cut in, "Rebekah and I must join the rest of our family."

I nodded and Rebekah squeezed my hand, "We'll speak soon, yeah?"

I stepped back towards my friends. "What was that about?" I directed my question at Elena who looked especially pained.

"I'll explain later."

My eyebrows raised, "I hope you'll explain to me why you think it's a good idea to meet with Esther," I replied lightly, "yes, I know about Esther and I would advise you against going, but I trust that you have already heard the speech."

I turned just in time to see Elijah claiming the attention of everyone in the room.

"Welcome, and thank you for joining us," he began and my eyes settled on him. "Whenever my Mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a century's old Waltz, so if all of you could please find yourself a partner and join us in the ball room."

As one, the people in the room turned to one another for partners but I remained still amongst the bustle. My eyes, which had been glued to Elijah, had begun to study the faces of his siblings. First there was Finn and then Rebekah. Klaus stood just behind Elijah and I glared darkly at his smug face, willing him to just drop dead then and there. However, when my eyes stopped on the fourth face everything around me held still, even the air in my lungs. A bitter taste filled my mouth and I could feel all the half mended pieces of my heart cracking once again. There was nowhere else I could look, nowhere else that I _wanted_ to look.

Kol Mikaelson, just as heart wrenchingly beautiful as the day we first met when I was human. Ironically, it was at an event not unlike this one where he had swept me away, heart and all, with a single dance. I continued to stare, drinking in everything about his face and then I felt like I was being completely doused in icy water when his eyes met mine. No, they didn't just meet mine; they claimed mine with such dominance that there was no doubt in my mind that he was real and not a figure of my imagination – even if there was a small part of me who wished otherwise.

It was I who broke the contact and I turned towards Damon who was arguing with Elena over going to Esther alone. It was Stefan who stepped in and carted her off to dance and I strolled over to Damon who I knew was seconds away from losing it.

"She's impossible." He complained while offering his hand to me.

I took it gently in mine and sighed, "Elena will always make her own decisions. I'm just tired of having to clean up after them."

He shot me a look and I shrugged, not really caring if he agreed with me or not.

We were one of the last couples to join the dance and so we quickly took our places. I looked around and noted smugly that I was the only one in a red dress. Damon took my arm and we followed the lead of the couple in front of us, and soon enough, he had a hand at my back while other caught mine in his palm. Together, the dancers in the room began to spin and I allowed Damon to lead me around the circle.

"You do look beautiful, Liv." He complimented, the thumb of his hand that was at my back traced small circles. I smiled to myself and looked down at our feet.

"Thank you," I mumbled, slightly embarrassed and we twirled around, the bottom of my dress flaring with the movement.

"So did you want to talk about your business in New York?" Damon asked as we spun again and I gave him an incredulous look.

"Not here," I hissed and looked around, fully aware of the nosy vampires in the room.

Damon's lips pressed together and I seriously considered kissing them again but shook my head instead, I really wasn't interested in starting something I couldn't finish. Again, we were spinning but only this time Damon let go and I found myself in someone else's arms.

"Easy there darlin', you're in good hands."

My entire body stiffened and my face went slack, if it were at all possible I believe my face would have paled. I dragged my eyes up towards his and was met with one of his famous half smiles.

"Hello, little dove," he purred and I swallowed hard.

I was hesitant to speak for fear of my voice failing but somehow I managed a breathless answer.

"Kol." And then all the walls I had spent a century building, shattered into a million pieces.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that I'm really excited for this story and I've got quite a bit planned for it. I'm feeling generous today since it just so happens to be my BIRTHDAY, so I am updating TWICE - isn't that fantastic? Please, please review for this story - it's my first Vampire Diaries story and I'd like to know what everyone thinks. ALSO, this just so happens to be my first SMUT scene, if you read it, I would REALLY like to know what you thought of it. Thanks, and much love!**


	4. Games of Dominance

"Ah, so you do remember me," his tone oozed arrogance as he spun me around elegantly, "I was beginning to wonder if I had lost my touch."

_Oh you haven't lost it at all_, I thought as his touch on my back and on my hand began to burn, the heat spreading throughout my body. My teeth clenched together as I tried desperately to hold my tongue against the overflowing current of rage that was bubbling within. I refused to speak because I didn't trust myself, so I blatantly ignored him and looked pointedly over his shoulder. However, I knew he was frowning because despite how hard I tried not to look at him, my eyes stubbornly kept his face within sight.

"You look simply ravishing in that dress," he purred. His tongue caresses the syllables as his fingers caress mine, lightly stroking their sides and tracing the lines of my palm, just like he used to when we would dance together a century ago. He tilted his head to the side in a teasing manner to catch my gaze.

Squaring my jaw, I dragged my eyes back to his face and gave him an unwavering look. My chin lifted and I prided myself on the chill that wrapped around my words.

"Thank you."

He smiled mischievously, his fingers still paying special attention to mine. I grabbed them suddenly, and kept a firm grip on them, causing him to laugh loudly. "You know," he began to inform teasingly, "The proper thing to do would be to return the compliment." His face returned to its usual smugness while his fingers returned to caress mine and my face hardened at his persistence.

Sighing angrily, I looked him square in the eyes and smiled an overly sweet smile as he spun me around and, like the showoff that he is, dipped me low to the floor. "I thought you knew me better than that Kol," I said, my voice like warm honey, "When have I ever said something I don't mean?"

I grinned victoriously at my little jab. It wasn't very often that I got the chance to strike at his ego, and it was even less likely that he would be wounded by it. His eyes darkened at my comment and I smirked darkly, daring him to snap back under the watchful eyes of his family.

Kol leaned forward to place his lips close to my ear. His breath tickled against the sensitive skin. "I had forgotten about your sharp. Little. Tongue, darling," he hissed, the threat would have been subtle to anyone else but I heard it loud and clear. My snarky comments ran hot and cold with Kol, they could force him into fits of rage, or they could turn him on. Of course I was not aiming for the latter, but I was praying that he would contain his rage for the sake of the party.

Immediately, his fingers quit playing with mine and he held my hand in a vice grip, and I winced. Once again, in a single, simple action Kol was able to reassert his dominance over me. The hand squeeze was a warning not to test him but the anger at his audacity to even _try_ to control me overrode my better judgment.

I leaned closer, my neck straining a little so I could meet him face to face and I whispered, "I may have a sharp tongue, and a smart mouth to match, but I've never heard you complain when I put them to good use."

At that the music ended, the final notes floating through the air and I stepped back from Kol, the eagerness to do so was very clear on my face and in my posture. Politely, I clapped like everyone else and then disappeared before Kol could notice that I had gone.

~O~

I stood with Damon and Caroline after the dance, each of us held a glass of white wine and I casually sipped at mine while trying very hard not to reveal my distaste for its bitterness.

"How was your dance with Kol?" Caroline piped up after a lengthy period of silence.

A wave of heat rose up my body when Damon turned his attention to me. Understandably, Caroline was only trying to make conversation and she was hopelessly devoted to finding me a match; however, she was clueless about the 'relationship' between Damon and I. Everyone was, even Damon's own brother.

"Peachy," I snipped, and Damon raised his eyebrows at me. I shook my head and tossed back the last mouthful of wine before putting it on a passing tray.

"And yours?" I inquired, "I saw you getting chummy with Klaus."

Caroline huffed and looked away with hardened eyes. I smirked at her discomfort; it wasn't every day that Caroline Forbes was made uncomfortable by her own game. She didn't answer me, but it was very clear that the dance had been less than enjoyable.

"Have you seen Elena?" Damon muttered to me and I searched the room for the brunette beauty; she was nowhere to be found.

I shook my head, "When did you lose her?"

"Middle of the dance, she's gone off and done something stupid, I know it."

Rolling my eyes, I plucked a second glass of wine from a passing server and took a large gulp. _Where's a bottle of whiskey when you need it?_ I complained to myself and then caught sight of Stefan walking towards us, an obvious purpose to his step.

"Damon," he muttered and the dark haired Salvatore turned to face his brother, "I need a word, with you upstairs." When Damon made no effort to move Stefan sighed, "Now, please."

"Hold this," he said to me and passed off his nearly empty glass. I balanced the curve of the glass in my palm, the stem nestled between my middle and ring finger, and we watched Stefan lead Damon up the stairs. Caroline and I eyed each other, both figuring at the same time that something was up and I shrugged while downing the rest of Damon's wine and placing it on a table.

From behind Caroline I watched Klaus stroll towards us, an overly pleasant smile gracing his lips, however, it looked more like the sneer of the Devil to me. He touched Caroline gently on the elbow and she started.

"Evening, Ladies," he said smoothly while kindly replacing Caroline's half full glass with a fresh one, "might you join me for a walk outside, Caroline? I have something I would like to show you." His voice was like silk and there was a tenderness to his face that made his seem almost human. Almost.

Caroline sighed grumpily and sent me an apologetic look before turning away. Klaus paused for a moment and then turned to look at me, his eyes hardening. "Fancy seeing you here, _alive_," he muttered and I glowered at him.

"Drop dead." I replied coldly and swallowed some more wine because for whatever reason, my mouth was suddenly dry.

He tilted his head in mild surprise at my lack of manners before chuckling to himself, "That truly is a lovely dress."

I scoffed and turned my back on him, sensing his lack of presence almost immediately. I quickly polished off my glass of wine and deposited it as quickly as I picked one back up. I was about to lift it towards my lips when a hand touched my wrist to stop me. Elijah's face was pleasant but there was mild concern in his eyes as he took the wine glass from my hand and placed it behind him.

"This is your fourth glass of wine since the dance, perhaps you should slow down?"

I really wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but regrettably, I agreed with him. Too much alcohol and I were a bad mix and I shot Elijah a small, but grateful smile.

"Where are all your friends?"

"Oh, you know, either being chased by the town's local Monster or searching for our favorite human." I really couldn't help the bitterness in my voice; I suppose my issue lied in my abandonment fears.

Elijah, too, looked surprised and an apologetic look formed on my face. "See, it's a good thing you stopped me when you did. If I had had any more wine, I'd probably make a fool out of myself."

Concern returned to Elijah's eyes. "Emotions are a difficult thing to acquaint yourself with again," he sympathized. "I've met many vampires who've turned to either excessive amounts of alcohol or excessive amounts of blood to cope after turning their emotions back on. You aren't alone in this."

"It gets easier, right?" I couldn't keep the whine from my voice and I grew angry with myself for showing such emotion to Elijah.

He smiled gently and turned to face me, "I should imagine so. It does help, however, to confront the sources of your deepest feelings; whether they be anger, disappointment, or fear."

I glanced up at him abruptly with a suspicious look on my face, and he sighed before looking around the room with false interest.

"For example, your hostility towards Klaus, although reasonable at best, seems slightly out of place considering, from what I understand, the little to no contact you've had with him."

I averted my eyes away from Elijah's, there was something about his tone that made me want to confess everything about my past to him. However, despite the confusion and the anguish that the past has caused me, holding onto those dark emotions has kept me afloat, and I wasn't ready to relinquish them just yet.

"Has Niklaus done something to you, Olivia?" Elijah pressed on. "Has Kol? I saw the way you reacted to him during the dance, and you were far from warm to him. Please, tell me what my brothers have done to you. A vampire as young as yourself should not hold so much darkness within her heart, it will destroy you."

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes and I blinked them back quickly, how was it that Elijah could be so concerned with my coping mechanisms when I couldn't even address the emotions inducing the need for them.

"Elijah," I began with a little shake to my voice, "I appreciate your concern, I really do. But you have no idea what you're talking about. So please, stay out of my business." I regretted being rude to him when he was only trying to help, but I wasn't about to break down in the middle of his family's party.

I turned on my heel and stalked out the front door for some air, hoping that it would clear the way through the alcohol I had consumed. The pain was swirling around in my chest, like disturbed sand at the bottom of a clear lake and I sat down heavily on the cement half wall that framed the stairs. My weighted shoulders slumped forward and I dropped my chin to my hands while my elbows balanced on my knees. In the distance I heard voices and I looked up to see Rebekah and Matt walking towards his car. There was a coldness to her shoulders and I straightened up to watch them. Matt went into his truck and pulled out a jacket, and then wrapped it around Rebekah's shoulders. Unexpectedly, the air between them changed and she hastily directed Matt back towards the mansion. I studied them with narrowed eyes until they disappeared behind the front wall and I turned back to the parking lot. I jumped when I caught sight of Kol, a look of dark disappointment on his face and when I blinked, he was gone too.

From within, I heard the sounds of people gathering and I headed back to the party. Once again, the doors opened for me magically and I strode into the foyer. Glasses of champagne were being passed around and people were depositing their wine glasses; on the stairs, a woman, who I assumed to be Esther, stood with a glass of champagne at the ready. A server paused to offer me a glass and I took it gingerly between my fingers with a gracious smile. Studying the faces in the room as Esther made her speech a gnawing sensation began in the pit of my stomach as my eyes fell on the faces of each of the Originals. Between the words Esther was speaking and the way everyone hung on her words I could sense there was something larger at play, and when people began to drink something sunk within me. It wasn't very often that I acquired these feelings, but they were never good when I did. However, when I saw that Elena stood with Elijah and how he peered at her calculatingly before taking a sip of his champagne I knew that, once again, Elena was the center of it all.

I took two large gulps of my champagne and set it off to the side to be picked up and then headed up the stairs. From the landing above I watched as people began to filter out when I caught Damon walking up to block Elena's way to the door. Quickly, I stepped back to remain out of sight and half listened to their conversation.

"Do you think I like going behind your back…?"

More quiet murmurs ensued and then Damon's voice broke through. "No, I'm mad at you because I love you."

I swallowed and made a move to step up to the railing and call down to them but Elena's voice stopped me.

"Well maybe that's the problem."

I closed my eyes in pain for Damon's sake. It had always been obvious to me that he loved Elena, despite that she strung him along; because of her choice of problems it was once again clear to me how manipulative Elena really was. Sure that would bother certain people, but in her case it didn't – what bothered me was that she didn't know it. Its one thing to be manipulative and know you're being so, that's just wrong. It is another thing to be completely oblivious to your manipulations, and go on like nothing's wrong – that is just infuriating.

Again, I backed away from the railing and walked out onto the balcony. Voices spilled out over the front grounds to the mansion as people disappeared for the night and I tilted my head to the side, wondering how it would feel to be human again, just for a little while. My thoughts were interrupted, however, by a firm body pressing into my back and a pair of arms reaching to grip the railing, and for the second time that day, I found myself trapped. I knew who it was before he could speak by the underlying danger in how he pressed against me; this was not a completely suggestive act, it was threatening too; another reminder of his dominance.

My whole body stiffened in response to his lips at my ear, my hands clenched the railing in front of me until my knuckles turned stark white. "Could you remind me of the 'good uses' that mouth of yours has, little dove?"

"Back off, Kol." I snapped, and shoved backwards with my body.

He laughed while edging away from me with his hands raised in mock surrender.

"Relax, darling." He grinned, "I was merely taking you up on your offer."

I stared at him incredulously, "That was _not_ an offer, Kol!"

Again he laughed and I nearly throttled him. "Oh, my mistake," he teased before invading my personal space again. I tried to take a step back but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, his broad torso over taking mine and he lowered his head so his eyes could meet with mine. His eyes locked mine into a heated stare for some time; he had that terrifyingly calm anger surrounding his posture and I shivered. Slowly, he leaned forward with his nose at my collarbone and inhaled deeply before pulling back to assess me with his 'calm before the storm' gaze.

"You smell like Damon Salvatore," he accused and I swallowed while pulling my head away from his. "Tell me this, Olivia. Does Damon Salvatore smell like you?" He hissed lowly. I didn't need to answer him, it was all in my silence, and it was all over the fear on my face. His hand came up and knotted into the hair at the nape of my neck and he dragged it up so he could look down on me with a snarl etched onto his face. His face was so close to mine that our noses touched and I could barely breath I was so terrified.

"You could do so much better," he whispered and suddenly he released me and I sagged forward with barely enough time to compose myself before Matt opened the door.

"Olivia, hey!" he exclaimed and then caught sight of Kol standing there coolly, "What are you doing out here?" He inquired with slight suspicion and my eyes shifted from him to Kol and back again.

It was Kol who spoke first while taking an overly friendly step forward, his hand held out. "Good evening," he grinned, "You must be Rebekah's friend. We haven't met." Only I knew that Kol's friendly tone was false but it wasn't until I saw the ice within Kol's eyes that I knew his intentions.

"Matt Donovan," he replied and grasped the original vampire's hand.

"Kol Mikaelson." In a split second, Matt realized he just made a big mistake. I heard the crack before I saw the pain register on Matt's face and he dropped to his knees.

"Kol! What the fuck!?" I yelled and surged forward to grab at his arm but he shoved me away and I was propelled into the railing.

"Hey, hey,hey. Easy on the hand." Damon stepped in and I looked up in surprise. His normally bright blue eyes were like coal and there was a sinister smirk playing at his lips, "The guy's a quarterback."

Damon's eyes flicked to me and I looked horrified back at Kol, praying that he wouldn't jump to the bait that Damon was implying. My prayers went unanswered when Kol met Damon with a challenging grimace, and a sickening smirk of his own. Damon growled low in his throat before launching at Kol and shoving him off the balcony.

I leaned over and watched Kol fly through the air and land with a loud thud onto the concrete and then spun around to face Damon. "Don't you dare!" I warned through gritted teeth, visualizing the way he would look if Klaus ever got hold of him but he was already over the side without a second look at me.

I rushed to Matt and helped him stand. "What can I do? Do you need…?" I trailed off without needing to finish and he shook his head firmly, his face pale and sickly.

"No vampire blood."

I nodded and then dragged him back inside with me and down the stairs where he trotted to keep up with me. When we got to the door way, I saw Damon snap Kol's neck and stand to face Stefan who had a look of stunned horror on his face.

"Are you crazy?" Stefan hissed and Damon looked slightly pleased with himself.

"Maybe a little." By this time the other members of Kol's family filtered outside and I flew down the stairs.

"Damon, go." I muttered urgently while taking note of the look in his face. He glanced at me then back at the forming crowd.

He bent forward ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth turned upward and a wild look in his eyes, "Far be it for me to cause a problem." And I knew he was directing it at Elena.

I grabbed onto his forearm and began to lead him away, but not before I looked down at Kol's unmoving body. Damon resisted me at first but at my heated glare he followed me. We didn't stop until we were at the center of town and I dragged him around to face me and took his face in my hands.

"Damon…"

He grabbed my wrists and pulled away from me. "Not now, Liv," he snapped, "I need to be alone."

He was gone before I could protest. Being alone was not what Damon needed, if experience had taught me anything it was that when Damon was alone, only more trouble would ensue.


	5. Something's Different

**WARNING!: This scene contains mature content, if you are not interested in reading smut. The scene is located between the first and second "~O~" if you wish to skip it. **

"Have you any idea where he could have gone?" Elena pestered me the second I walked through her door, and I heaved a great sigh, shooting Stefan an exasperated look. I didn't tell her that Damon had headed in the direction of the grill. I didn't tell her that I had followed him to check on Matt, and I sure as hell didn't tell her that Damon had left with Rebekah Mikaelson. Instead, I came to stand in the middle of her living room and pulled off my death trap heels, dropping them onto the floor and falling into her armchair.

"No, Elena. I don't know where Damon went. Perhaps it would be best if we just left him be," I shot her a look of exhaustion and she came to sit in the spot on her couch closest to me. Her elegantly shaded, mocha dress was pooled around her legs and her eyes were large and full of worry, and perhaps even a touch of regret, but I didn't double check.

"Didn't he talk to you? Did he say anything at all?"

"No."

"But he always goes to you!" Elena's whining was beginning to grate on my nerves. I was not Damon's keeper, I do not require a daily itinerary from him, and I certainly didn't expect him to confide every little feeling he had to me. _So why do you feel a little put out that he went off with Rebekah and not you? _I glowered at the patterns in the living rug and gnashed my teeth together.

"Liv's right, Elena," Stefan broke in, in order to deter me from going off on the human girl. "He'll come back when he's ready."

Elena nodded and refrained from pestering me any longer. She disappeared upstairs for a while and Stefan sat down across from me.

"What did the Witch want?" I asked, and he shrugged carelessly, his hand coming up to run through his coppery locks.

"Just a chat with the Doppelganger, from what I gather." There was something off about his tone of voice; as if he were leaving something out on purpose and I squinted at him while sitting back against the chair. Stefan had never kept a thing from me because he knew I was valuable in a fight. _That was the old Stefan_, I thought to myself, _He's not the same anymore_.

Elena came back down and handed me a small pile of clothes. "If you want to change out of your dress, these are more comfortable," she offered.

I stood and tried to decline her offer, but she insisted.

"Seriously, Elena," I grumbled, "I'm heading out anyways, so I'll just change at home."

"Leave the dress here and you can pick it up tomorrow. I'd hate for you to ruin it."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the piles from her hands and then marched off to the bathroom. It was only seconds before I returned and she took the dress off my hands. "I'll leave it in my parent's room for the night," she smiled and I pulled her in for a one-armed hug.

"Don't worry about Damon," I muttered in her ear, "his emotional outbursts never last all that long." I felt her arm tighten around me in gratitude and then I pulled away while turning to Stefan. "Care to walk me home?" I winked cheekily. He shook his head before holding the door open for me to leave.

"Talk to Caroline," I called out over my shoulder, "Get her to arrange a girl's night – I think we all need one."

Elena grinned widely and brushed her hair behind her ear while waving goodbye and I turned around to catch up with Stefan, who had already gotten to at the end of the street by then.

~O~

Stefan and I halted at the end of my driveway and I watched as he tugged at his bowtie until it hung loosely around his neck. I glanced back up at my dark house and sighed heavily, not really wanting to be alone tonight. I turned back to Stefan and invited him inside for a drink.

Not unkindly, he shook his head, "I should probably get back to my place in case Damon comes home ready to start trouble."

My lips thinned thoughtfully and I nodded, "Yeah, you might be the best choice to keep him stable…for the most part anyways," I agreed. It was already three o'clock in the morning; something told me if Damon wasn't home already, he wouldn't return at all this evening.

"Goodnight, Olivia," Stefan said pleasantly and then walked away from me at a leisurely stroll until he reached the end of my street, then he was gone.

I turned and headed up the driveway to my house and pulled out my phone to call Damon. It rang four times before going to his voicemail. "Hey, Damon," I greeted quietly, my keys turning in the lock to my front door, "It's Olivia again. I just want to make sure that you're going to be alright after what happened tonight. Please call me when you get this, or hell, come find me so we can talk – your silence is starting to scare me." I hung up while closing the door behind me, the lock clicking in place and I threw my keys into the dish on the hallway table. I walked a few steps into the house and my hand felt around the wall for the light switch, the lights suddenly coming on and blinding me. I paused for a moment and stared straight ahead, listening to the quiet; but it wasn't the typical quiet of my house, there was someone else here, someone who shouldn't be. Cautiously I edged into my house and looked into the living room; it was empty. I paused and surveyed the empty room before turning to the kitchen and I nearly jumped right out of my skin.

"Damon!" I whispered urgently and rushed towards where he sat at the island in my kitchen. I touched his shoulder and then glanced at the half empty bottle of rye and the full glass between his hands. I didn't recognize the bottle and I squeezed his shoulder gently. "I thought you left with Rebekah?"

He peered up at me through his long eyelashes, his bangs falling into his eyes. His tuxedo looked pretty rumpled and he had lost his bowtie completely, his shirt was half unbuttoned and, to be honest, he smelled like a mini bar. I grabbed the bottle and looked at it, then back at him questioningly as he took a drink from his glass.

"Does it look like I'm with Rebekah?" He asked, and then to answer my question, "Stole it from the grill," he drawled, his voice thick with the burn of alcohol and I moved the rye bottle away from him.

"I've been calling you. Elena called you, too –"

Damon chuckled bitterly at the sound of Elena's name and tossed back the rest of his glass of rye, "I know. I've been ignoring you. Figured you'd come home eventually."

"I'm glad you came to me. At least you can't get into too much trouble with someone watching out for you," I smiled and he leaned back in the bar stool to look at me, a lazy smirk pulling at his lips.

He reached out his hand and pulled my face down to his, his other hand came up to curl around the curve between my neck and shoulders and he smiled drunkenly. I could smell the alcohol when he spoke, "I don't know about that," he said and pressed his lips firmly to mine before coaxing a response to his sensual kiss.

I pulled away from him and sighed pitifully, "Damon, you're drunk. I know that you love Elena and you're angry because she rejected you. I underst – "

He pressed a finger to my lips. "Wrong. If I loved her, I'd be with her right now, but I'm not. I'm here with you."

I felt something in my heart thaw a little but I remembered that he was drunk – and in pain. You can't just shut off your feelings for someone because they hurt you and I knew he would always love Elena. I closed my eyes as a flare of my own pain swarmed my heart. Of course I could admit the truth in light of someone else's situation, but I could never face it when it came to mine.

"Olivia?"

I opened my eyes to find Damon's entrancing ocean blues boring into mine and crushed my lips against his. He stood up and I ripped his jacket off and threw it to the floor. My hands grabbed both sides to his shirt and I ripped them apart, sending the buttons flying across the room. He kissed me furiously, his hands digging deeply into my hips and as he pulled me against his front, I grinded against his pelvis. He groaned deeply into my mouth, as his hands slipped under the long sleeved shirt I wore and yanked it over my head. My hands worked furiously with the zipper and buttons of his dress pants and his arms came around my middle, his hands smoothing over the yoga pants I had borrowed from Elena. His hands slipped beneath the waistband of my pants and my underwear to the underside of my bare ass where he squeezed tightly, pressing me even closer to him. I growled and nipped at his lips, drawing blood. I gently sucked at the wound until it healed. Suddenly, he had me against the wall beside the stairs and he spun me around, pressing my front up against it and leaning in to my back. His hands roughly pushed my pants and underwear down my hips and they pooled at my feet where I hurriedly stepped out of them and kicked them away. His lips were at my neck and shoulder, and I could feel his teeth pressing into the skin; I moaned loudly, my back arching.

His arm snaked around to my front and I felt his fingers push up inside me, his other hand wrapping around the front of my throat, my cheek pressing against the wall. I panted deeply, my hands coming to support my weight on the wall and I curled my toes in ecstasy when Damon's thumb rubbed circles around my clit while simultaneously thrusting two fingers deep inside of me. I tilted my head back and captured Damon's lips roughly, my hand snaking into his hair.

I broke away from his lips. "Oh, _fuck_ Damon," I moaned as his hand fell from my throat and began massaging my breast under the fabric of my bra, his fingers pulling at the nipple.

I felt his breath on my cheek, his lips brushing against my ear, "That's right, Liv. I want to hear you."

I growled loudly and wrenched myself from his assault, I kissed him heavily while my hand wrapped around the base of his neck and I pulled him up the stairs and we stumbled into my room. I finally got the fly of his pants undone and I reached down, my hand stroking him with firm but gentle pressure, forcing a low groan from deep within the back of his throat. He ripped off my bra and tossed it across my room and then pulled off his dress pants, while I still concentrated my attention on his member. He shoved me onto the bed and crawled on top of me with his face at my neck and his hands at the back of my knees. He pushed them up and nestled his hips between my legs and without warning, thrust himself inside me. My whole body jostled with the power of his thrusts and my fingers clenched fiercely to his back; I clung to him and he to me, my breasts jiggling against his chest.

"Oh, God! Damon!" I cried out, my neck and back arching, while the familiar sensation in the pit of my stomach built up. His hips picked up the pace and his lips crashed against my own, silencing the moan that attempted to escape. He suddenly rolled over, so I was on top of him, but his arms circled my waist and back, preventing me from moving an inch. All I could do was ride it out until the end.

Damon's eyes bore into my own, claiming my gaze, as his face screwed up into the grimace of a man about to climax. This time, he did so first and I watched every emotion that Damon felt come crashing down around him. One, two, three more powerful thrusts and my world exploded, too. Afterwards, we laid there, panting heavily.

I slid off him and laid at his side while he kept an arm around me, his chest still heaving. I closed my eyes and felt his lips press to my forehead, and the next thing I knew, I was asleep.

~O~

Light filtered in through my window when I woke up the next morning and I stretched my limbs out under the covers, feeling around beside me for a body, but there was nothing. I peeled an eye open to look at the pillow beside me, but there was no head resting on it and I reached my hand out to pat the empty space. It was cold. Slowly I rose up, the covers falling to my legs to expose my naked chest and I looked around for any sign of Damon. He was gone, and he didn't even leave a note. I couldn't help but feel a little rejected, but then again, this was not a new feeling. It did, however, feel much more different than before. I sighed to myself and rolled out of bed, my naked form stretching like a cat and I strained my ears for any sounds downstairs. To my disappointment, there was nothing out of the ordinary, so I grabbed some clothes from the dressers and padded over to the bathroom across the hall, naked. The water spluttered out of the shower head and I waited for it to warm up.

Last night had felt a little different than usual; there had been more urgency, more desperation. I rolled my shoulders and peered at my reflection in the mirror – I looked like a hot mess with my smeared lipstick and smudged eye makeup. My hair was all over the place, even pushed up on one side. _Look at yourself_, I belittled myself, _why the hell would he stick around with _that_ sleeping beside him?_! I shook my head and climbed into the shower, where I poured body wash onto my loofa. Through the running water, I thought I heard odd noises rising from the main floor, but I ignored the thought when they didn't get louder. Stella was probably putting groceries away, still attempting to keep up appearances even though all my friends knew I was a vampire and didn't need to eat. Stella was a longtime friend of mine who volunteered to pose as my mother during my time in Mystic Falls, because I had saved her father from a particularly nasty hunting accident. It had actually been her idea and I was glad that she did, because, otherwise, vampires would be able to walk in and out of this place like they owned it.

I moaned loudly as the hot water drummed against my back, and I slowly began to lather the soap over my body. I began to wonder how long ago Damon had left, and if he had stayed at all – I didn't even recall him moving me. Was it a mistake to cave in to him this time, especially after he had been kicked at for pining over Elena? It probably was, but he came to _me_ instead of going to anyone else. I felt a small pang of smug satisfaction at the thought of Damon coming to me in the end, but then I remembered the half bottle of rye he drank all by himself and I gritted my teeth. _Perhaps he was just using you_, I thought to myself. _Well are you not using him?_ I snapped back in my head, _Are you not using him to fill the void you feel after being around Kol…_

I slapped myself on the cheek and shook my head, my hand reaching out for the shampoo. I lathered it up in my hands and began to comb it through my hair, the strands slipping and sliding through my fingers. _Kol can go fuck himself_, I growled and rinsed out the soapy suds. If Kol had of just stayed gone, none of this shit would be complicated, Damon and I could continue on the way we were and I wouldn't have to feel so goddamn guilty.

_Why the hell are you guilty_? I asked myself while working conditioner into the ends of my hair, _people only feel guilty about being with someone when they love someone else._ I growled in frustration and quickly rinsed out my hair before shutting the shower off. _I do not love anyone, I _cannot_ love anyone or I risk the pain of another broken heart. _I dried myself off in a hurry and carelessly dried my hair before pulling the jeans and t-shirt on that I had grabbed and padded down the hall and then down the stairs. Stella was nowhere to be found when I wandered into the kitchen and I scratched my head before turning the coffee pot on. I stretched my arms above my head, my shirt riding up and a small but strained sound escaping from the back of my throat and I smiled to myself. It was a beautiful day in comparison to the disaster that the ball had ended in and I sighed to myself while grabbing a mug from the cupboard. The coffee maker beeped and I poured some into the cup, and then walked around the island, towards the living room. The strong black aroma brought another smile to my lips and I directed my gaze to the living room.

That was when I realized I was not alone. I stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes met with Kol's. He was sitting in the armchair that faced the kitchen, on the other side of the living room, with his legs casually spread apart and his hands were clasped on his lap. I dropped the mug of coffee onto the floor and it shattered, hot coffee splashing every which way, including my bare feet. I barely registered the pain.

"Good morning, Olivia," he murmured and at first he sounded pleasant but then I noticed the tightness around his eyes and the thinness to his lips. His eyes were so dark, they were practically black and I swallowed hard.

The danger continued to ripple in his tone as he stood from the chair. "I trust you slept well," he purred and I barely registered the threatening undertone before I realized that he was flying right at me.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! I'm starting to get a little discouraged with this story because no one's reviewing nor are they subscribing. I'd really like to know that people are enjoying the story so far, because the only one who's keeping it going at the moment is my friend, Crushed Seraphim. Please, please review, or if you're not in the mood, subscribe! Thanks!**


	6. The Truth Comes Out

His hand wrapped tightly around my throat as he slammed me into the wall, his hips pushing against mine to keep me from escaping. I choked due to the lack of air and struggled fruitlessly against his grip, my nails digging into the skin of his hand. Kol was pissed beyond a doubt and I began to tremble under the heat of his gaze. His lips were curled into a sneer and his face was almost mocking as he derived pleasure from seeing me my struggle. I closed my eyes and wondered where Stella was, hoping that she was okay.

"W-w, where's S-s-stel…?" I managed to gasp out but the lack of air prevented me from speaking further.

"You're not seriously asking for your pet, are you?" He hissed, his lips so close to mine that they brushed together when he spoke.

I looked wildly from side to side and he sighed heavily in frustration, "She's in one piece," he admitted finally, "If that's what you're really worried about."

He must have noticed the relief on my face when he pressed his body harder into mine, my back screaming in pain. "But honestly, darling, it's not her I would be worried about." He gave me a pointed look as if to remind me of who has who's life literally in the palm of their hand.

Feebly I shoved at his shoulders and chest, my hands even tried to pull his hand away but he only laughed mercilessly in my face. I had forgotten how much Kol liked to play with his food before he ate it. I whimpered, my body twisting in discomfort and he finally relaxed his grip on my throat. I sagged forward gasping for air, even if I really didn't need it, and I held my throat gingerly. His body was still a fraction of an inch away from mine so when I sagged, I was leaning into him, my hands clenching his forearms and my forehead leaned into his chest. His head loomed over mine; it tilted curiously to the side as he watched me suck in air like it was my last breath. I was furious that he seemed to be _enjoying_ this – he was so fucking amused by everything.

Slowly, I straightened and stared defiantly into his eyes as his lips curled up with a thoughtful smile and his hand came up to brush the hair out of my eyes. Viciously, I slapped it away and he laughed, his body bouncing against mine. "It seems you haven't lost your spark," he mused, and his faced leaned in closer to mine and veered off at the last second so he could inhale at the base of my throat.

I stiffened as he neared and tried to pull away but the wall behind me prevented any movement and I was stuck waiting for him to finish sniffing me. He pulled back and dragged his eyes back to mine, the sharp anger quickly returning and I flinched which made his mouth curve in a mocking smile. He could smell Damon, that much I knew, I just didn't understand why he cared so much – he left _me_, I didn't leave _him_.

"Now let's talk about _Damon Salvatore_," he growled, his hands coming up to position themselves on either side of me.

I swallowed hard and tried to duck under his arm, but his hands gripped my shoulders and they shoved me back into the wall, my head bouncing off, causing me to wince. His hand came up and grabbed me by the jaw tight enough to bruise if I were human, "Before you start," he warned, "I'd be careful about what you say to me. I already know that Damon came to your house, I already know that Stefan walked you home, and I already know that Damon left a couple hours after he arrived – so don't even _bother_ lying to me."

I gave him a confused look. How could he possibly know those things, unless he was…

"Have you been _watching _me?" I asked incredulously and he seemed to take great pleasure that I had caught on so quickly.

"Technically I've been following Damon, you know, since he snapped my neck and all," however pleasant his tone was, I caught on to the danger lurking in its depths.

Then it clicked. He wasn't here on my account – he didn't worm his way into my home just to have a chat; no, he wanted Damon.

"You want to hurt him? Fine, then hurt him – but don't drag me into your problems."

He snarled and his hand smacked into the wall close to my head, "Do you think I'm stupid?" He inquired menacingly, while pulling his hand out of the indent he made on the wall. "I can smell him all over you, and trust me when I say this, _love_, he looked mighty satisfied with himself as he walked out your front door earlier this morning."

I jumped at his sudden lash of violence and shied away from his hand with a whimper. Slowly he turned my head back to face him with a cool finger on my chin and I died a little inside when I realized a tear had escaped out of my eye. _Stop crying you fool!_ I shouted at myself, _you're letting him win if you do_.

He grinned at the sight of the tear and his tongue shot out to lick his lips, like a wolf would when he was about to rip into the carcass of a lamb. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered darkly, "Did he tell you that he loved you after he fucked you? Or did you just let him use you?"

My eyes widened in horror and I stared blankly over his shoulder, my whole body shaking with uncontrolled emotion. My mouth had suddenly gone dry and I held back the sob that wanted to explode from my throat, had it really been that obvious? My silence only made the sadistic grin on his face grow wider and eventually I pulled my eyes back to focus on his. It was clear on his face that he knew he had won but I decided to reply to his degrading comment.

"What Damon and I did, or didn't do, does not concern you – not anymore."

A spark of surprise surfaced within the coldness of his eyes and then it was gone, his face muscles relaxing into amusement, as his finger came up to brush up and down against my cheek, his thumb then running over my bottom lip where he tugged gently. "Darling, darling, darling," he cooed while making sure to keep my eyes on his, "You've forgotten that everything you do concerns me. You are mine, after all."

A surge of raw anger burned within me and before I realized what I was doing my hand shot up and slapped him hard across the cheek. His head jerked to the side causing his hair to fall out of place and I took my chance by ducking under his arm in order to make a run for it. His hand shot out and he grabbed my wrist so tightly that I heard a crack and he dragged me back to him quickly. I reared back and smashed the top of my head off his chin then flashed around him to grab him around the chest with my arm, my other hand coming up to grip his shoulder and I twisted harshly to the side sending him tumbling to the ground. I ran for the front door while the top of my head throbbed in pain and grabbed the knob while my other hand grappled with the lock. I barely managed to get both objects turned the right way and I had the door opened enough for my arm to slip through when a strong arm wrapped around my middle and lifted me off the ground. My legs kicked at the empty air furiously and I screamed loudly in frustration before I was tossed backwards onto the floor and I rolled through the shattered remains of my coffee mug. I lay there stunned, my shoulder screaming in pain from where I landed on the ceramic shards, and a pitiful moan erupted from my lips. I heard the door snap shut and then Kol's slow footsteps walking towards me. I rolled onto my back to peer up at him through half lidded eyes. He glared from above me and then bent down, his hand wrapping around my ankle and dragging me towards him.

I groaned loudly as my back slid through the shards again and he made an indignant sound in the back of his throat. "I'm getting real tired of these games, Olivia," he chastised in a low voice, his hands grabbing me by the hips and hoisting me up into the air and over his shoulder. I landed harshly and groaned at the discomfort in my stomach, trying to wriggle free, when his arm wrapped around my legs, his hand clamping tightly around my thigh. I struggled a little harder as he walked back to the door and opened it. He stepped onto my front porch and closed the door behind him. With every step down the stairs I bounced, his shoulder digging into my middle. I pounded harshly on his back, but the contact didn't seem to faze him; he just kept walking.

~O~

"Put me down!" I bellowed, my fists drumming as hard as they could into his back, my legs kicking harshly, but to no avail. His grip on my legs only tightened and even if I started to slip in the slightest he would shift me back onto his shoulder roughly.

"No."

The answer was so simple and so aggravating that I exploded into a long string of swear words. I hated him, I hated that he was getting entertainment out of blatantly manhandling me like I was property instead of a person and I let him know it too. Hell, I let the whole world know it because I was shouting so loudly. He didn't care though; he let me yell and scream until my voice was hoarse and even then I didn't stop. I didn't stop as he jogged up a set of stairs, I didn't stop when he shouldered open a set of doors and I didn't stop when they closed with a bang behind him. In fact, I only screamed louder and I heard a number of different footsteps hurry into the large foyer of the Mikaelson Mansion.

"Kol, what the hell are you doing!?"

"Not now, Bekah!" Kol snapped as I tried to wrench myself free from his grip.

"Kol Mikaelson!" I bellowed, "If you don't put me down, _right now_, I swear to god I'll tear you limb from _fucking_ limb."

This only made him laugh and he had the audacity to slap me on the ass, "I dare you to try, Liv," he called out and I rose up angrily, my elbow pushing against his shoulder.

"Olivia, what's going on!?" Rebekah demanded but Kol was already headed towards the stairs. When I looked up, I didn't realize that Rebekah had disappeared, but I hoped that she had gone to get Elijah.

Kol was three steps up when his hand casually patted me on the back of my thigh, "Almost there, love," he grinned and I saw red. Furiously, I began to fight against him and he had to slow down because I was rocking so much. "Will you stop!?" He growled and I only rocked back and forth harder. Eventually I achieved what I had wanted because he lost his balance and dropped me on the stairs. I landed hard on my back, my head slamming against the hard step and I saw stars for a split second before I realized Kol was looming over me. The groan of pain I let out quickly turned into a snarl when his hands reached out to grab me and I smacked them away from me, trying to shove him away. I was terrified of what he wanted, and it would be over my dead body that he got me alone again. My hand curled into a fist and I aimed a perfect right hook at his jaw. Unfortunately the hit didn't throw him off to the side but it distracted him long enough for me to pull my knees into my chest and viciously kick upwards. The base of my bare feet connected squarely with his stomach and he soared through the air, landing in a heap on the opposite side of the room, and it was at that moment that Elijah ran into the room, followed by Rebekah and Klaus. I sat up, my back screaming in pain and hauled myself to my feet, using the banister to support my weight. Kol, too, was getting to his feet and he fixed me with a nasty look before taking a threatening step towards me. I jumped and backed up but my feet hit the stairs and I fell again, my hand shooting out to grasp at the railing.

Elijah stepped in between us before Kol could advance any further. Kol glowered at his eldest brother like a child would when his toy was taken from him and Elijah returned the look with a coldness that forced his brother to retreat a step or two. Elijah outstretched his arm behind him and opened his hand as if to present me to a crowd and he spoke to Kol like a father would to a misbehaving child.

"Why have you gone and kidnapped the poor girl?"

"This is none of your concern, Elijah. So put your nose back where it belongs," Kol spat and he made to move around his brother, but Elijah stepped in his way yet again. Rebekah moved towards me and she reached out her hand to help me back down the steps, I cautiously looked between her and Elijah before tentatively taking her hand and coming to a stand at the bottom of the stairs. She let go and stood in front of me, a little off to the side, but her intention was clear, if Kol managed to get around Elijah, she would step in.

"You have brought an unwilling girl into our home. Whatever is between you two may not have been my concern before, but it is now."

"She is no girl, she's a vampire."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," I snapped and stepped forward to challenge him but Rebekah stopped me.

"He turned you?" Rebekah asked in surprise, and even Elijah was shocked as he looked back to his seething brother.

My hands clenched into fists and I moved around Rebekah, "And then he abandoned me," my voice cracked and I pressed my lips into a hard, thin line. A tear rolled down my cheek and I brushed at it furiously.

"You told me to wait at the train station," I reminded, all the pain tumbling out into my words, "You said we would leave, _together_. But you never showed up. I waited two days and two nights like a _fool_!" I bellowed, finally allowing the tears to flow freely. It felt good to finally tell someone about all the pain I was feeling.

Kol stared at me with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look and I took a couple large breaths to steady myself.

"Olivia, if you would just let me exp—"

"You broke your promise to me. You _lied_ to me, and you couldn't even tell me yourself! So why should I listen to _anything_ you've got to say? How can I trust you?"

Kol suddenly appeared in front of me and his hands came up to hold my shoulders, "Liv, if you would just listen to me instead of fighting—"

I slapped him hard across the face and then punched him on the arms and chest repeatedly. "Am I just a game?" I screamed in his face when he grabbed my wrists to keep me from hitting him and trapped them against his chest. "Am I still just a fucking game to you!? Haven't you won already?" I sobbed heavily, ready to sag to the floor in defeat.

Kol looked helplessly at his siblings and then looked back down at me. "You're not a game, little dove." He muttered. His tone was not condescending, it was not angry, it was not teasing or playful; in fact, he sounded wounded, as if he couldn't believe I would ask him such a thing. His hand came up to cup my cheek, "You were never a game, not to me."

I wrenched my hands from his grip and shoved him away. "You said in your letter that you didn't love me and that you never had. You said I was a game easily won and that you were bored with me!"

This time I watched Kol's face screw up in confusion and I could tell that it wasn't a facade because even if Kol was at a disadvantage, he never, ever showed it. "What letter are you talking about?" He whispered and I glared at him.

"You trusted a letter to your good friend _Nik_ to give to me," I explained while shooting a look towards Klaus. "He met me at the train station and gave me your letter."

All eyes turned towards Klaus who leaned against the doorway with a bored expression on his face; like this was a story he had heard before.

"Olivia, the night I was supposed to meet you, Klaus found me. He daggered me and that's why I never showed up," Kol spoke in a rush as if he were afraid I would interrupt him. I glanced back at Kol and thought back to the night we were supposed to leave together when he interrupted me with a question.

"What happened to you?"

I knew that he was asking how I had died and I turned to look back at Klaus who at least had the decency to look uncomfortable.

"I jumped," I said simply, "Because your Brother compelled me to."


	7. What Are We Doing?

It took about half a second for Kol to react to my confession. His face contorted into a fierce snarl, black veins snaked out around his eyes and his vampire incisors lengthened dangerously. His muscles tensed into a coiled pose, ready to spring at any moment and Elijah reached out and wrapped his hand around my forearm. He tugged harshly and I flew into his chest, just as Kol went for Klaus' throat. It happened so fast, one second the two were apart, the next second Kol had his fists clenched around the neck of Klaus' shirt and they both went tumbling backwards. I could barely distinguish between the figures of Kol and Klaus, their movements being so fast and so unexpected that I had an extreme amount of difficulty trying to pick out who was on top and who was at a disadvantage.

I jerked to the side unexpectedly, hoping that I could break the vice grip that Elijah had on my arm, but he apparently expected it because with one tug I slammed into his chest again. I tried again to pull away from him but he caught my eye and shook his head. "You'll get yourself killed if you try to interfere," he murmured against my hair and I twisted my arm out of his grip, but didn't move away. I watched Klaus throw Kol into a side wall where he slid down and landed onto a mahogany wine cabinet. The bottles within rattled loudly and the glass fronts of the cabinet doors shattered from the force of Kol's weight. He was on his feet before I realized and he had launched himself at Klaus, knocking him into the wall. Kol's fist reared back and connected twice with Klaus' face and once in the stomach before Klaus grabbed his brother's arms and twisted him around. I watched in horror as Klaus' face transformed, but not into the face of his vampire side, but his werewolf side. His eyes bled over into a terrifying yellow and I watched his teeth transform into sharp canines; his head reared back about to bite into Kol's neck.

It was as if time had slowed down. My feet moved forward without my knowledge and I heard my voice, an echo in the distance, scream in protest. Kol's head slammed backwards, connecting with Klaus' chin and thus distracting him long enough to flip him over. Klaus landed heavily on his back and Kol lifted his foot to stomp on his brother's chest but Klaus rolled away and appeared behind Kol. Suddenly, Kol was flying towards us and, once he landed on the floor of the foyer, Klaus had him pinned to the ground, his fist connecting repeatedly with Kol's face. I stared in horror, not knowing what to do, because I knew Elijah was right about what would happen if I interfered, but I couldn't just let Klaus _pummel_ Kol. _Are you actually scared for Kol?_ I asked myself incredulously, and I found the answer in my reaction to what happened next.

I looked on as Klaus made a move to snap Kol's neck, to end the fight once and for all. I watched Klaus' hands wrap around his brother's throat and I immediately saw red. Before Elijah could sense my intention I had launched myself at Klaus. My arms wrapped around his chest and I flipped over him, the momentum throwing him into the front doors causing the glass pane to crack when the back of his head hit it. I rolled to my feet and jumped up into a defensive position before Kol, who remained on the floor breathing heavily. My eyes darkened and the veins around my eyes blackened while my mouth curved around my elongated fangs, a feral snarl erupting from within my chest. Klaus grinned like I was making his day and he ran at me. I spun to the side and ended up behind him, my foot connecting with the back of his knee causing him to fall forward. I spun around on my left foot, aiming the other at Klaus' head but he caught my ankle in his hand and spun me, I lost my balance and landed face first on the ground. The harsh and sudden contact knocked the breath out of me and I found myself gasping for air and groaning pathetically.

I was suddenly lifted up, a pair of strong hands gripping the back of my shirt, and I was thrown face first into the wall. The hands grabbed my shoulders and spun me around roughly and I was met with the bleeding yellow eyes of Klaus Mikaelson. I swallowed hard, my bangs clinging to my face as his hand came up and gripped my throat tightly. I coughed hard and sucked in air that wasn't present as I tried to wrench his hand away from me, but it was about as futile as it was when I tried to free myself from Kol's grip.

Klaus' eyes began to return to normal and he smirked in self satisfaction. "I've grown real tired of you," he hummed while his hand clenched harder around the delicate flesh of my throat. I narrowed my eyes at him, both hands gripping his wrist and pulling with all my might. It was clear by the look on his face that he was laughing at me and I felt a knot of fiery anger swell in the pit of my stomach, like I had swallowed burning hot coals. I latched onto it for strength, my lips twisting into a grimace as I thought back on all the pain and anguish this man had caused me. I held onto my hatred for Klaus, the only person whose voice was enough to make me want to set him on fire. The fire raged on, filling me slowly before it engulfed my heart and then I felt something explode within. There was a loud crack that echoed within the room as Klaus crumpled to the floor in front of me. I sagged against the wall in relief, coughing harshly while I looked down at his body. His neck was at an awkward angle and I knew that somehow, I had just snapped his neck. And yet, I hadn't touched him.

I glanced up in confusion, my eyes widening in fear when I realized that I had just snapped Klaus' neck in front of his family. I turned tail and ran, the front doors slamming behind me.

~O~

It wasn't long before I found myself outside of the Salvatore boarding house. I was gasping for breath while trying to reign in my thoughts and emotions. I wasn't completely clear on what had happened, it had happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that I was still reeling. On top of all the adrenaline coursing through my veins I felt drained, emotionally and physically, and there was that irritating yearning in the pit of my stomach again. It seemed that, once again, alcohol was losing its effect on me and the strong blood lust I have always had was becoming almost intolerable. I sat down on the steps to the Salvatore's house and clenched my hands in my lap – they were shaking something terrible and I wiped at my face distractedly. Something wet appeared on my hands and I looked down to inspect my fingers which were now covered in blood, I stiffened in surprise and wiped under my nose with the other hand, finding that it too was covered in blood. Whatever I had done to break through the walls I had been facing was obviously too much for me to handle, which is probably why my nose had started to bleed. _That would also explain the dull throbbing in my head,_ I thought to myself while slowing getting back to my feet. I was afraid that my body would give out under so much stress and I would faint on the Salvatore's' front steps.

The front door opened with a slight shove and I wandered inside towards the living room, only to face a number of surprised looks from Stefan, Damon, Caroline, and Bonnie. I leaned against the wall of the entrance for support and closed my eyes tightly. Small hands were suddenly grasping me by the shoulders and I peeled my eyes open to look at Caroline's face. Concern filled her eyes and I leaned forward slightly. She took me into her arms, her hand smoothing out my hair, while her other arm wrapped around my back.

"Liv, where have you been?" She asked quietly and I pulled my forehead away from her shoulder to stare blankly at her.

Bonnie stood up from her spot on the couch. "Caroline and I went to your house, this morning." She said gently while taking a step closer to where Caroline and I stood, "You weren't home and there was broken glass on the floor… and we didn't know what to think!"

I pulled away from Caroline and shuffled over to the couches. Lowering myself onto the soft fabric beside Stefan, I pinched the bridge of my nose and moaned loudly. A vampire should not feel this exhausted, they should not be in so much pain; we were supposed to be stronger than humans, so why do I feel fragile like I did when I was human?

"Kol showed up at my house," I confessed after a long period of silence, "He was pissed, to say the least and he dragged me back to the Mansion."

"Did he do this to you?" Damon demanded with a confrontational tone and I peered up at him through my exhaustion. I shook my head in bewilderment and dragged my fingers through my hair before grabbing onto the ends and pulling. Damon knelt down in front of me and swiped under my nose. When his hand pulled away his fingers were covered in blood and he gave me an expectant look with his hand spread out.

Groaning, I tilted my head back while Stefan disappeared and returned seconds later with a rag. I took it from his hand and pressed it to my face while closing my eyes again.

"Liv, what happened?" Damon asked, his hand on my knee and I pulled the rag away to find that the blood flow had ceased.

I shook my head and leaned forward while trying to focus my eyes again. "I'd rather discuss this later; I'm still trying to figure out what happened on my own."

"We're just glad you're okay," Caroline stated firmly and I looked up to see her shoot everyone a glare. I reminded myself to thank her; it was kind of nice to have her on my side.

There was an awkward silence and I looked around at everyone, unsure of what the problem was. "Is…there something going on?" I asked hesitantly.

No one would answer me until Bonnie finally explained the situation. Elena had aided Esther in completing a binding spell that would join Elijah, Finn, Klaus, Kol and Rebekah together and to my horror, Bonnie then described Esther's plans to kill off her entire family during the Full Moon. I looked away from them all with a clenched jaw, realizing that what I had felt during the Champagne toast was not just my paranoia and just like my assumptions, Elena was in the middle of it.

"So, you're telling me," I started, "That if one of them were to die while they were bound together – all of them would go?"

Stefan nodded but there was still tension in the room, and I could only guess at what the reason for it was. "I assume Elena is having difficulty with this, then."

"She's feeling guilty about Elijah dying when she could save him, because he saved her," Caroline admitted and I nodded. I did not let on that I was in agreement with Elena; I didn't think it was right for _all_ of them die, but of course, I was not solely thinking about Elijah.

"I'll go see her. Maybe she'll listen to me."

Instantly, I could feel the tension ease in the room and I allowed my lips to curl into a small smile, that is, until I caught sight of Damon, whose eyes had narrowed in slight suspicion. "Mind if I join you?" He drawled and I knew if I said no, he'd insist on it so I just shrugged my shoulders and turned to leave the house. Damon followed close on my heels and then appeared before me to open the passenger door for me; I nodded in thanks and slid in while the door closed behind me. Damon soon joined me and before I knew it we were pulling out of his driveway.

Damon didn't speak for a few minutes and I was more than happy not to initiate the conversation. Sure, I was not pleased with what Kol had said to me this morning, but I think it burned the most because the more I thought about it, the more it was true and I just hated that Kol was right.

"Olivia?" I turned my head slightly to the side to indicate I was listening and Damon continued, "What's the story between you and Kol?"

I sighed deeply and stared out the front window, not really in the mood for this conversation. "I have a lot of history with the Mikaelson family, not just Kol." I stated bluntly, not really answering his question and he shot me a look of mild frustration. "Damon," I rolled my eyes, "I'm not in the mood to explain all of this to you now."

"I think I deserve to know. Something tells me that Kol Mikaelson's interest in you is not all of a sudden!"

"Is this your own curiosity speaking, or were you volunteered to ask?" I snapped and his knuckles turned white against the steering wheel. He jerked it to the side and we took a corner sharply, causing me to fall in his direction. His silence was louder than words. "I figured as much," I muttered darkly while shoving a hand through my hair, "how is it that the others know?"

Damon looked like he didn't really want to admit it and I shot an expectant look at him, my arms crossing over my chest. "I told them about what I saw at the Ball last night," he confessed quietly and if I were a human I probably wouldn't have heard him.

I laughed incredulously and chewed on the inside of my cheek. "I see," I huffed, "And I assume that this was _after_ we were together last night?"

I caught the wary look that he shot me from the corner of his eyes and his lips parted to speak, but the words were delayed for a few seconds until he found the ones he wanted. "Liv, what happened last night was—"

"Was what, Damon? What _exactly_ was last night like for you?"

Shock was written all over his face when he turned to look at me. "What's wrong with you?" He snapped accusingly and I glowered darkly at him with my back pressed against the door

"See now, I couldn't tell you. But obviously there _is_ something wrong with me based on how you left awfully damn quick last night!"

It was Damon's turn to look incredulous. "And what were you expecting from me, might I ask?"

"Nothing, Damon!" I threw out into the air and turned to look back out the front window, "I don't expect anything from you – that's the point. We have no expectations of each other whatsoever."

"Is that not what we agreed upon?" He asked slowly before parking the car in front of Elena's house. "Friendship and sex, without all the complications?"

I sighed. He was right, that was our agreement but last night wasn't the way it used to be. "I know that was what we decided on…but now, I only think we're hurting each other." He didn't move from the car, he just let me talk. "We're only using one another, Damon. And I think it's time that we stopped doing so."

He turned to me then with his mouth turned up in confusion. His eyes, however, betrayed defeat. I reached out my hand then and placed it on his, "I want something more, and I think that I want it with you… but I haven't had a relationship since I was human and it crashed and burned. I don't think I could handle the vulnerability again. I think it would be best if we walked away from our current deal. Let's just be friends for a while so we can clear our heads and decide where to go from there."

With that I stepped out of the car and headed up the walkway to the front steps. When I arrived at the door, I knocked and Damon came up behind me. There was no answer and I reached out to try the front door. For some strange reason, the door knob turned and Damon and I shared a glance. His was out of suspicion, but mine was out of worry. I stepped in first and noticed that nothing seemed out of place, Damon followed and rushed upstairs to check it out and I wandered around the main floor. The house was oddly empty without Elena or Jeremy there, but we already knew where her brother was. I walked into the kitchen with a frown on my face and Damon showed up behind me without anything useful to report.

"Do you think something happened to her?" I wondered and he shrugged with a calculating look on his face.

"No clue, but I hope she's not making a mess of things." He voiced while pulling out his phone and placing it to his ear. I heard a muffled 'hello' and then Damon spoke.

"She's not here, Stefan. Elena's gone."

And, deep down, I knew that she was in trouble.


	8. Playing Interference

It wasn't long before Damon and I returned from Elena's house. Stefan shouldn't be too far behind us so we decided to wait for him in order to make a decision. It was more than obvious to both Damon and I that the Original family was behind Elena's disappearance and I suppose our next step would be to find out what they want. I had not counted on finding out what that was so soon, but when Damon and I stepped into the living room, we found an uninvited guest sitting in the armchair beside the fire. Damon stopped in his tracks with an unpleasant look on his face and I cautiously stepped down into the living room, unsure of what was about to happen.

"Elijah?" I questioned and he turned to me with a look of boredom on his face while his hands casually brushed at his suit jacket. Damon stepped defensively in front of me, drawing a look of amusement from Elijah and I pointedly came to stand beside Damon while shooting him a glare.

"What do you want, Elijah?" Damon growled pointedly and the Original vampire's eyebrows rose in surprise at Damon's lack of manners.

I sighed and my hand grasped Damon's forearm in warning. "What he means, is, 'is there something wrong'?" I corrected, trying to keep my voice level.

"I know about my Mother's plans, Olivia. Please, don't play stupid with me." I swallowed with difficulty, unsure of how to proceed, but it turned out I didn't have to because Elijah continued, "If you're looking for Elena, don't bother, because you won't find her."

"Where is she?" Damon snapped, taking a threatening step forward and Elijah smiled humourlessly.

"I think I'll wait for your brother," Elijah said pleasantly while inspecting his fingers and uncrossing his legs, "He should be walking through the door any second."

Right on cue, Stefan stomped through the door. "I can't find her anywhere," he grumbled broodingly and Elijah greeted him pleasantly.

"He has Elena," Damon informed bitterly and Stefan looked at me for confirmation, I nodded once and we both turned back to Elijah.

"Actually, she's with Rebekah."

I sighed in frustration, my head tilting to the ceiling. As much as I loved Rebekah, I knew that she was not Elena's number one fan and I was familiar with Rebekah's vengeful ways. Not unlike Klaus and Kol, Rebekah liked to play with her food before she ate it and I knew that Rebekah would take her time with Elena. After all, Elena did stab Rebekah in the back, literally. I turned my head to glance at Damon and Stefan, both of them with the exact same look of concern that was on my face.

"So," Elijah began, his lips pulled down in a serious frown. "If you want to save Elena's life, I need you to help stop my mother." His head tilted to the side slightly as he contemplated our reactions and I moved to stand beside Stefan.

Damon's eyes squinted and I sensed the familiar attitude that Damon got when he realized he wasn't being given a choice, "I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing off one thousand year old, resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty," he finished with a sarcastic smile.

"Yes, unfortunately even when killed, my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead," Elijah replied with a curious smile and my lips pressed into a thin line. "Not with the spirits of nature on her side," he finished.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Stefan demanded while taking a couple steps forward and I glanced towards Damon who was glaring darkly at Elijah. Yes, I knew how much Damon detested being blackmailed, especially when Elena was the prize. _Why is she always the one in trouble?_ I snarled inwardly, _because there's always someone there to take the fall for her_. There it was again, the bitterness I had towards Elena's ability to manipulate and I gritted my teeth.

"The witches that released my mother – she's drawing her power from their bloodline," Elijah explained. "The line needs to be broken." There was a darkening distance in his eyes and took a step forward, away from Damon.

"Broken?"

"He means their death," I stated firmly, my hands crossing my chest and I narrowed my eyes at the Original vampire who I once admired for his morality. This time, however, I was actually surprised to be wrong.

"You want us to kill them?" The disgust was clear in Stefan's tone and I shook my head bitterly.

"You know, I'd do it myself, but I have absolutely no idea where they are," the pleasantness on his face was appalling. "Besides, seeing me they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you," he waved the idea away and stood from the chair. I was starting to wonder if there was ever a time where the Original vampires did anything without manipulation. "In any case, you have until six minutes after nine to find them."

"Oh how super specific of you," Damon huffed.

"By nine the moon will be full, and my Mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family," he said quickly. His tone then changed to that of a dark warning, "If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena." Elijah paused and looked each of us pointedly in the face to make sure we got the message. "So we all have our timeline. I suggest you get started."

I turned to the side so Elijah could pass between Damon and I, and then I chuckled darkly to myself, earning 'what the hell are you doing' stares from the Salvatore brothers. "You know what Elijah?" I called out after him. He stopped with his back to me but his head turned to indicate he was listening, "I actually thought you were better than your brother. I suppose even you can stoop as low as blackmail, after all."

He turned and met my eyes with a dark look and I raised my chin in defiance. I was just so _done_ with Originals telling me and my friends what to do. Elijah turned back around and was gone without me seeing which way he went and I fixed Stefan and Damon with a hard stare.

"So what's the plan?"

I was not impressed when they shared the same look of loss.

~O~

"…Simple mechanics. You can't draw power from a dead battery," I heard Damon say as I paused at the door that would lead into the cellar. I had planned to go down for a snack, but apparently Stefan and Damon's choice to discuss battle strategy down there was an effort to keep me out of the loop. It's too bad, really, that they don't realize I'm an excellent source of information – and I can't be so without being sneaky enough to acquire it.

"Kill 'em."

"If it comes to that."

I squeezed my eyes shut painfully; I didn't think it was the best idea to kill Bonnie or her mother. If Bonnie died then whoever committed the act would be met with Elena's wrath, and if her mother died, then we'd have an extremely pissed off Bennett witch on our asses.

"You want to dagger Elijah?" I peeled my eyes open in surprise at this turn of events and listened harder.

"They're all linked. One goes down, they all go down. The witches live, Elena is safe. Problem solved." Damon reasoned and I too could see that it was a good idea. _Even though…_ I glared pointedly at the wall in front of me, daring myself to finish the thought.

"Ironically, Klaus isn't our current problem," Damon mused.

"Dagger's lethal to any vampire who uses it."

"Well, I just so happen to know someone crazy enough to give it a shot." Immediately I knew that someone was Alaric and I also knew that he was at The Grill currently. _Perhaps he could use a hand_…

I went to turn back around and head towards the living room but my foot hit a creak in the floor boards and I froze while taking note that the conversation down in the cellar had halted too. Quickly, I ran out of the house headed towards mine. I managed to change out of the clothes from this morning and into new ones in record time and found myself walking into The Grill not long after. Quickly I glanced around and found Alaric and Dr. Fell off to the side, Alaric was speaking into the phone but he caught my eye as I wandered in.

_Olivia's here… _I heard him mutter into the phone and I almost walked into Caroline.

"Livia!" She greeted in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

I plastered a warm smile onto my face and casually looked around at all the people, "I fancied a drink, care to join me?" I watched her look back and I followed her gaze to where Klaus stood speaking with Kol. I rolled my eyes but fixed my attention back to Caroline as Klaus made his way to follow my blonde friend.

_I can't, she's already caught the attention of Kol…_

"I…was actually just leaving," her mind was distracted as she offered me a small smile and brushed past; I turned my head to watch and then shrugged. My lips tightened a little after hearing Alaric's side of the conversation and I headed up to the bar, passing Klaus on my way. He shot me an angry look and I smirked.

"You're wasting your time, Klaus. Chasing after skirts that don't want to be chased by the likes of you."

His glare intensified and if looks could kill, I'd be dead-er. I chuckled to myself and strutted over to the bar where Kol sat, his arm relaxing along the edge of the bar top with a glass of amber liquid in his hand. I came to a stop in front of him, aware that his eyes had followed my every step and I pulled off the black leather jacket I wore and dropped it onto a stool. His eyes trailed up my body before landing of my face and I smiled sweetly knowing I had chosen my top well as it showed off just the right amount of cleavage.

"What can I do for you, love?" He drawled, his eyes smoldering. I wanted to smack myself when I felt a flutter in my chest like I did when I was human, and I could have sworn that by the look of amusement on his face, he knew _exactly_ what my reaction would be.

I sat down on the barstool that Klaus had just vacated and Kol turned to face me. I was extremely aware of the space between us, and I crossed my legs while smiling wider at him. "You could buy me a drink," I offered, my elbow coming to rest on the bar top and he raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you did drag me out of my house this morning – it's the least you could do."

His eyebrow rose and a half smirk graced his lips. He waved the bartender over and ordered two more of his drink before finishing what was in his glass. Two glasses were placed in front of us and I watched the bartender fill both of them, he pushed the clear glasses with the swirling amber liquid towards us and I picked mine up just as Kol grabbed his. He tipped his towards me, I returned the action and we both took a swallow. I relished in the feeling the alcohol created as it burned down my throat and warmed a spot in the pit of my stomach. Then I set the glass down on the counter.

"So," he started, an inviting tone laced through his words. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Oh, you just happen to be here," I replied while taking another sip of the liquid in my glass, "And I don't enjoy drinking alone."

He feigned offence, "And here I thought you were drawn to my presence."

I scoffed loudly and finished my drink before ordering another. "You think too highly of yourself, Kol."

He smiled a rare true smile and leaned forward, his hand gently brushing mine. "You know, there was a time where _you_ thought highly of me, too, little dove," he murmured gently and I swallowed hard while moving my hand away so it wasn't touching his. I heard my phone buzz from inside of my jacket and I pulled it out to look at the text.

-SOS Storage hallway –

The text was from Matt and my eyebrow's knitted together. My eyes swept the room but Matt was nowhere to be seen and I stowed my phone back into my jacket and slung it over my arm. "Excuse me," I muttered and walked quickly away from the bar and down the side hallway.

"Matt," I hissed while edging down the hallway and looked inside of the different rooms labeled 'Staff Only'. He was not down here and I grumbled darkly to myself as I returned to the main part of the bar. Again, I swept the room and I didn't see Matt, but I noticed that Kol had moved from the bar and he was standing over by the pool tables, with Dr. Fell. My eyes narrowed dangerously as I watched him prowl around the table to where Dr. Fell was leaning against the green to take her shot. I saw his eyes glitter dangerously and I knew that predatory look like the back of my hand, I took a step forward and strained my hearing.

_I like pretty little things with sharp tongues…_ I heard him tease playfully.

I felt my eyes burn a little and a sharp pang echoed in my chest, like my heart had just fallen into my stomach. That had been his line to me the night we first danced together when I was human, he had been pestering me all night like he was doing to Dr. Fell now. I was about to step out and leave the building when I noticed Alaric circling dangerously close, like a tiger about to corner his prey and I realized what they were about to do when I saw the glint of the dagger. I sucked in a breath of air to call out to Kol but a hand shot out of nowhere and clamped down on my mouth while an arm snaked around my chest and pulled me back into the dark storage hallway. I struggled tooth and nail, and I even bit down on the hand but the fight did not deter them. I found my back pressed against the wall and my arms pinned to my chest, the hand still at my mouth and it took me a few seconds to focus in on Stefan's face. My eyes widened and I struggled a little harder because of the fear and confusion rising in my body but there was a sharp pain in my neck and I barely registered his voice and the apology that came out of his mouth before I collapsed against him.

~O~

I groaned loudly when I woke up, my body felt as if it had been hit by a bus. I rolled onto my back in the darkness of the cramped room I had been stuffed into and when my leg stretched out it knocked over an avalanche of objects. I covered my face and pulled my knees to my chest until the assault of objects had subsided and then I managed to pull myself up into a seated position. Every muscle in my body protested against the movement and I reached up with my hand to rub the sore spot on my neck. _Seriously, Stefan? Vervain? _I thought angrily to myself and got to my feet. My eyes were barely adjusting that's how dark it was in the room and when I nearly tripped over what appeared to be a broom stick I realized I was in a storage closet. My hand felt around for the knob and when I touched it I found it was locked from the outside. I was so mad at Stefan, and no doubt it was Damon who put him up to it so automatically I was angry at him too and I furiously pulled at the door.

_They are so dead when I get my hands on them_, I seethed and took a step back from the door. In a flash my leg kicked outwards and the door cracked down the middle and flew to either side of the door, large chunks and splinters hitting the wall across from it. I stalked out and looked back and forth down the hall before making a left towards the back entrance, the heels of my boots clicking furiously against the hardwood floor. I threw the back door open and stomped outside, heading towards the stairs that led to the side entrance when I heard scuffling down below and hushed urgent voices.

"Here, grab him!" I heard Alaric hiss, the stress of dragging Kol by himself was obvious and my lips curled into a vicious smile. I sped down the stairs and wrenched the dagger from Kol's heart and then shoved his body to the ground. My arm swung out and I knocked Alaric into the wall turning slowly to face the Salvatore brothers. Now that the initial surge of adrenaline had passed I felt the exhaustion in my body and I slumped against the wall while every single muscle in my body screamed in pain. It was then that Klaus decided to appear and I slid down the wall, landing suddenly on my ass while my eyes closed. Stefan ran at Klaus but was thrown backwards like a ragdoll onto the stairs and then Klaus faced Damon.

"I should have killed you months ago," Klaus sneered and I turned my head to the side to see Kol stirring beside me. I rested my head back against the wall and watched Damon and Klaus interact from the corners of my eyes.

"Do it, still not gonna stop Esther from killing you," Damon smirked, his lips lingering around the 'you'.

I stopped paying attention briefly, not really interested in seeing Damon's face being ripped off but I still grinned slightly when I heard Damon's antagonizing tone, the one he often used when he no longer cared what happened. Kol sat up with a bleary expression and I caught his eye, shooting a lazy smile in his direction when I noticed the concern on his face.

"Leave him," came a strong voice and I circled my head around as Klaus turned to face Elijah, who stood at the top of the stairs. "We still need him, Niklaus."

"What did Mother do?" Klaus asked his brother and Elijah took a breath before putting his hand inside of his coat and stepping lightly down the stairs. Klaus repeated the question but Elijah ignored him and walked straight up to Damon.

"Tell me where the witches are, or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now," Elijah spoke slowly and my head snapped back to look at him, I tried to stand but failed when my legs began to shake. I saw Damon look at the time and question Elijah on his previous timeline.

"I'm sure Rebekah would be more than happy to start her work early," Elijah confessed lightly and I tried to stand again, this time I managed to worm myself up the wall so I could stand half slouched, my eyes were wide with fear and I desperately grasped for an answer. One came to me in seconds and I shuffled forward, nearly tripping over my feet.

"No, don't! Don't do that" I groaned and coughed into my arm. Elijah turned to stare at me, the hardness on his face disappearing when he saw the state that I was in. I quickly explained where Bonnie and her mother would be located and then turned to Damon. "Turn them," I said simply and he looked confused. "If you turn one of the witches into a vampire, Esther will no longer have access to their blood line. You can't be a witch _and_ a vampire," I explained weakly, and to my dismay Klaus actually looked impressed with my compromise.

Damon sighed in defeat and nodded once before disappearing up the stairs, while Stefan came over to grasp my arm in order to help me up the stairs. I shoved him off and glowered at him.

"The after effects of the vervain should not be so strong, not with the amount I gave you," he muttered and I walked up a few of the steps.

"Obviously you miscalculated."

Stefan was beside me in an instant and he held my arm again. I gritted my teeth in anger and turned to face him with a furious look. "You haven't been feeding, have you?" He judged, and I narrowed my eyes at him before turning on my foot and kicking him square in the stomach, sending him flying into the alley. I placed my hands on my hips and looked down at him.

"I'll let it go this time, Stefan. But don't _ever_ attack me when my back is turned again." I snarled, and then disappeared into the night.


	9. Floating Memories

I spent the next few days holed up in my house for fear of running into anyone. I was feeling pretty damn guilty for suggesting that one of the witches should be turned to break the connection that Esther had with the Bennett witch line. From what I understand, Bonnie's mother had been turned by Damon and now there was a rift between Bonnie and Elena. I did sympathize with Bonnie, she had lost a member of her family in exchange for Elena's life and these choices were always the same, it was always Elena's life that was on the line. Four days had passed since Esther had tried to kill her family, and for all four days I had heard nothing from my friends. Of course I was not complaining but I couldn't help but feel unnerved by the fact that not even Elena had called, but I shook off the feeling and sat down at the end of the island in my kitchen with a lone pencil resting in the centre.

I had spent the days practicing like I had been instructed to, although, I had to admit, after snapping Klaus' neck so suddenly the other day, I had more motivation to practice. For hours on end each day I sat in the same spot with the same pencil and not once had I managed to even nudge it. I had been told that the best way to move objects with your mind is to clear it of all the clutter and focus on one emotion, preferably the strongest one. At the moment I had succeeded in clearing my mind and I kept my eyes closed as I tried to harness all the anger I had felt towards Klaus the other day. I felt the same bubbling rage swell inside me; I felt the raw emotion scorch the inside of my chest but there was no explosion, and each time I opened my eyes, the pencil remained stubbornly in place.

I narrowed my eyes at the inanimate object. Perhaps I wasn't harnessing the right emotion for this task; perhaps the emotion had to match the action I wanted to perform. I slumped on the stool I sat on and studied the pencil moodily, _what kind of emotion do I need to move a pencil_? I pondered to myself and then closed my eyes again, my chin resting on the palm of my hand. I listened to the silence in the room and then strained my ears to listen to the sounds outside, in the distance I heard cars moving and people talking, I could hear a radio blaring in one of the houses on my street and I even heard something cooking in a pan next door. As quick as all the sounds came I shut them off and focused again on the silence in my own home.

My mind began to wander to a time when I was still human.

_"You know it's rude to keep a gentleman waiting."_

_ I watched the young man from beneath my eyelashes and I couldn't help the little flutter in my chest when his lips curled into a lazy smile._

_ "I've heard the stories, Mr. Mikaelson," I drawled nonchalantly. "You are the furthest thing from a gentleman if I've ever seen one."_

_ His eyes darkened at the jab and he stepped closer, his hand reaching out to brush against my elbow and it sent shocks throughout my body. "I like pretty little things with sharp tongues," he muttered gently into my ear and I felt my heart pick up. He then pulled away and held out his hand again, "Humour me?" he pressed and I sighed heavily before placing my hand cautiously in his._

_ He folded my arm around his and led me onto the dance floor while my heart continued to pound in my chest as I caught the stares from the other young women of my age. Some were jealous, others had a look of fury and some didn't even look surprised, like they had expected me to give in. Mr. Mikaelson walked me around in a wide circle before pulling me closer, his hand spread over the exposed skin of my back. His other hand held mine gently, his thumb rubbing slow circles over my knuckles and I placed my free hand on his shoulder. We moved slowly and I could feel the heat of his gaze on my face, his eyes sliding over my features curiously and I blushed deeply having never been under the stare of a man with the exception of my father, for such a long period of time. _

_ "Is there something on my face?"_

_ He didn't answer but continued to gaze down at my face while we spun in gentle circles, his fingers began to trace the edges of my fingers and the lines on my palm and I almost closed my eyes because the sensation was so calming, but I didn't dare let my guard down. "No, I just enjoy the colour that your cheeks turn when you blush."_

_ My face reddened further and he chuckled lightly, "You blush too often, Miss. Knight. Do I embarrass you?"_

_ "You could have any woman in this room," I hastily changed the subject as we followed the dancing couple in front of us around the circle. "Yet, you've spent the past hour and a half pestering me for a dance." _

_ "Is there a question there?" he mused with a teasing smile playing at his lips._

_ "Why me?" I demanded and a thoughtful look crossed his face._

_ "Perhaps it is because you presented me with a challenge, unlike the other women here," he stated thoughtfully and I rolled my eyes. Of course a man like this would only rise to a challenge, and I squirmed at the thought of just being a game for him to win. _

_ He caught my bitter look and continued. "Or perhaps I am merely enticed by the fire that flickers in your eyes. Perhaps I can appreciate when a young woman can make decisions on her own. Perhaps," he trailed off and I looked him in the eyes. "Perhaps I admire your ability to claim the attentions of an entire room the second you make an entrance, even if you don't notice it."_

_ I couldn't help but be stunned by his confession, how could a complete stranger make these observations about me? _

_ The dance came to an end and we parted so there was about two feet of space between us, "Does this answer satisfy you?"_

_ I nodded numbly and quickly gathered my scattered wits, as much as I wanted to replay with a snappy comeback, there was none to give. "Thank you for the dance, Mr. Mikaelson," I said softly while curtsying and then turned to go find my younger sister._

_ I stopped however when I heard his reply. "Kol," he stated firmly and I turned back to face him with widened eyes. "Please, call me Kol," he pressed and then closed the distance between us to scoop up my hand in his and pressed his lips to it softly. I blushed when he lowered it while capturing my eyes with a smoldering look. "And the pleasure was all mine, little dove."_

_ He turned away at that and left me to stand there alone on the dance floor. I could still feel the heat on my knuckles from where his lips had touched them and I held the hand to my chest while butterflies exploded in my stomach. I was pretty sure that Kol Mikaelson had managed to win a piece of my well guarded heart. _

I opened my eyes again and felt the wetness pooling underneath and I sniffed once before glancing at the place where the pencil lay on the island counter. Only, it was no longer there, and I dragged my gaze upwards to find the pencil floating in mid air like an invisible string was tied to it. I gasped and it fell through the air, landing on the counter with a clatter and then rolled onto the floor. There was a sudden wave of exhaustion and I slipped off the stool but when I pressed my fingers to the underside of my nose I was relieved to find that there was no blood. _Okay, so obviously it takes a lot less energy to move a pencil than it does to snap someone's neck;_ I thought to myself and then picked up my phone to dial the familiar number. I let it ring twice and then hung up, and then called again; it was picked up on the first ring.

_"Olivia." _The male voice greeted firmly and I bent down to pick up the pencil.

"I did it," I stated while twirling the pencil between my fingers victoriously and there was a sharp intake of breath on the other end.

_"You've been practicing then?"_

I grinned to myself and set the pencil back down onto the counter. "Yeah, I've done it twice now but I didn't want to let you know until I did it a second time."

_"This is excellent news, Olivia. I'm so glad you called, just imagine how much stronger you will become if you continue to practice."_

His praise made me feel like I was flying, I was so excited that I could scream. After years, and years of practicing I was _finally_ getting somewhere. "Could we meet again? I have some questions and I'd like them clarified before I go any further."

There was a pause on the other end. _"I…suppose I could come to you. It might be best if I did so, in case you try to go too far. But Olivia, I still want you to practice focusing on one emotion, the better at that you become, the easier the action will be."_

"When can I expect you?"

_"Two weeks at the latest." _And the line went dead. I disconnected from my end and looked out the window; it was starting to get dark outside and I realized I hadn't been outside for a while. I headed over to the closet and grabbed my jacket, before gliding out of the house.

~O~

The night was clear and mild, and bright stars were scattered across the inky abyss above me. It was a rare occasion for me to admire the stars, but with how I felt right now, I wasn't interested in denying myself anything. I took a last minute turn and headed towards the center of town and surprisingly, there weren't many people out tonight. I sat down on a vacant bench for a while, trying to sort through what had happened in the past couple of days and clear my head with the fresh air, but it didn't take me long to be distracted when someone walked past me. My eyes snapped open and I followed the young man headed down the street that led further into the residential areas. I swallowed past the burning sensation that licked up my throat and I tried desperately to control myself but a gust of wind blew his scent back in my direction and I stood up briskly before following after him.

It did not take long for me to catch up to him and I kept a few paces behind. As quiet as I tried to be, I had worn the wrong boots for the occasion and I had to maneuver myself out of sight when he turned around to inspect the sound that kept following him. In a flash I was before him and when he turned to continue on he jumped noticeably when he caught sight of me. I smiled pleasantly with my thumbs hooked into my jean pockets and cocked my head to the side in a curious manner. He smelled _wonderful_ and I licked my lips in anticipation.

"Hello," I murmured enticingly and sauntered closer to him. Like the fool I knew he would be, he stood still and watched me, desire filling his eyes. "I don't recall seeing you around town before, are you new?" I inquired while my hand came up to grip his forearm.

"Uh…" He trailed off while staring down at my hand. "No, just got off work."

I grinned widely and before he knew it, I had dragged him down a side street and had him pinned to the wall. The veins at my eyes snaked outwards and my fangs elongated causing the young man before me to open his mouth to scream but my hand shot out and I clamped it down so he couldn't. He whimpered pathetically and I sneered, "This'll only hurt for a sec." Then I lunged forward and sunk my fangs into the side of his neck. His warm blood exploded into my mouth and smeared across my face as it trickled over his shoulder and I groaned deeply while biting down harder. The young man struggled beneath me and I kept a firm hold on him; his heart began to slow down as I gulped his blood greedily.

_Please…_ I heard faintly, _please don't kill me…_

I paused for a moment but the desire for blood was too much and I bit into his skin again like I would an apple. His body started to go limp but I held it up with my arms; the blood flow began to weaken and I pulled away from the mess I had made of his neck. My mouth was smeared with blood and it dripped from my chin and onto the splattered shirt I wore. I could feel my muscles practically sing with relief and the harsh burn in my stomach and throat subsided, there was power coursing through my veins.

_I'm not ready…to die…_ The same voice trailed off and then all was silent as I dropped the body to the ground and stared at it in horror. What had I just done? I killed someone! I just drained an innocent man of his blood and I swear I could hear him…

_NO! _I snarled to myself, _that's impossible. That's never happened before – it was just your conscience…_

I took a bewildered step back and looked around, there were no witnesses to be found and suddenly, I couldn't breathe.

It wasn't long before I found myself leaning against the door of the Salvatore house and I knocked loudly. I was wheezing like I had just run across the country and tears were pouring from my eyes. _What am I going to do, what am I going to do?_ I chanted to myself and I held my head with shaking hands. The door opened and my head shot up to look at who was greeting me. It was Damon, and he had a look of surprise on his face while his hand rested against the door.

"Olivia?"

I didn't answer him, I just launched myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck while sobbing into his shirt. I felt his body stiffen at the sudden contact and then his arm wrapped gently around my back, his face turning to press into my hair while he rubbed gentle circles on my back. It felt like I was standing there for hours with him just holding me and I heard cautious footsteps enter the hallway.

"Damon what…is that Olivia?"

It was Stefan who spoke and Damon nodded while pushing the door shut. It slammed shut and he half carried half dragged me further into the house. Damon peeled me off of him and sat me down on the couch while taking the spot beside me and I buried my face into my hands, still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Olivia, what happened?" Damon demanded while taking in my blood stained clothes, but I couldn't look at him much less speak. His hands wrapped around my wrists and he pulled my hands away from my face to look into my bloodshot eyes. My tears had cleared streaks through the dried blood and I could only imagine what the rest of me looked like. It was then that I noticed that Caroline and Elena were standing back, Caroline with concern on her face and Elena with shock. I looked up at Stefan who had come to sit on the table in front of me and my lip quivered.

"I'm sorry!" I burst out while glancing quickly between the faces of my friends, "I di-didn't mean to. I just went for a walk and he smelled so good – I just couldn't stop myself…"

Instantly, an understanding look crossed the faces of the other three vampires and Damon squeezed my knee.

"You killed someone, didn't you?" Caroline asked gently while edging closer and I nodded.

I couldn't help but start crying again and Damon wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me into his chest. He combed through my hair as I flexed my fingers into his shirt and then Caroline's hands were prying me away as she helped me to stand.

"Let's get you cleaned up, okay?" She smiled as she led me to the washroom.

It was a while before I came back down, Damon had offered me some of his clothes, which I thought was sweet and I hastily brushed my hair back and piled it on top of my head. Hesitantly, I padded down the stairs into the living room and they all turned around to face me as I stood there awkwardly.

I couldn't think of anything to say to them. I mean, I had ruined a perfectly good plan that could have worked if I hadn't interfered. I just stared blankly into the room, feeling lost and when Elena called out to me, I was already apologizing.

"I'm sorry I ruined everything. I'm sorry that I made a gigantic mess. I'm sorry that I chose my emotions over my friends. I'm sorry that I was irrational. I'm sorry that I didn't come up with a better way to stop Esther. I'm sorry Bonnie's mom is a vampire. I'm sorry…" I rambled and then trailed off miserably while my hands came up to press against my mouth, the tears threatening to fall again. I was before Elena in an instant and she jumped in surprise, but I already had my arms wrapped around her and I hugged her tightly, "I'm sorry I didn't come up with a better way," I whispered into her ear.

Elena returned the hug with slight uncertainty as I had never hugged her like this before and then held me at arm's length. "I'm not mad at you. You did the best you could and Bonnie will see that eventually."

I closed my eyes at the thought of Bonnie, "She's going to be so mad at me…"

"She just needs time," Caroline comforted and then said as an afterthought. "And you didn't ruin anything; it was just a matter of time before Klaus would step in. So even if you hadn't pulled the dagger out of Kol, Klaus would have done it anyways."

I nodded and wiped my eyes, while taking a shaky breath, I felt Caroline wrap an arm around my shoulder. It was weird – as a century old vampire, I shouldn't need comfort after killing someone from another vampire who was a year or so old; actually, it was a little embarrassing.

"But why did you pull the dagger out of Kol?" Elena asked, while taking a seat in the armchair and my eyes landed on each of their faces individually.

I sniffed once and my fingers fidgeted nervously. "Kol…was the one who turned me," I confessed after a short pause and I smiled slightly at their looks of surprise, "And up until a few days ago, I had thought he abandoned me. However, I just found out that Klaus was the center of everything."

I sat down on the couch and began to explain everything to them.


	10. Trapped in the Lion's Den

"Hey, what's with the cryptic, secret meeting text?" Matt asked as he came to stand before Caroline and Elena. The two girls looked at each other and Caroline shrugged, looking confused.

"I don't know. Stefan just said to meet here." Elena replied.

From behind them a third voice called out, "Where's Bonnie, I texted her, too." Elena, Caroline and Matt all turned around to watch Stefan and Damon emerge from the trees; Stefan had what appeared to be a heavy looking duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Bonnie's mom bailed on her, _again_," Caroline explained, "So, I think we should leave her out of this."

Stefan nodded and then Matt spoke out. "Where's Olivia? Shouldn't she be here too?"

Damon and Stefan shared a look and Damon shook his head, "We should probably leave her out of this, too. "

"Yeah, what with the whole inconvenient connection she has to Kol," Stefan drawled and Matt looked between the faces of his friends in confusion, as always, he was left out of the loop.

"What does Kol have to do with this?" Elena asked and Damon grinned, fairly pleased with himself.

"We found some more White Oak," he explained smugly. Everyone but Stefan was amazed."Long story, wait for the movie," he winked and Elena looked at him incredulously.

"Wait," Elena started, "White Oak?" She inquired with slight disbelief and a smile formed on Caroline's face, like the one that would appear on the face of a person who had just found water after days of dehydration. "You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" Elena sounded like she was about to cry and even Matt looked fairly impressed at this turn of events. The odds were finally in their favour.

"Nope," Stefan smirked as he dumped the duffle bag onto the ground where it opened to reveal twelve White Oak stakes whittled into perfection. "We all have a weapon."

~O~

I sat on the couch in my living room studying a blank sheet of paper that I had been trying to fold into smaller sections. In my head, the task of folding a piece of paper with my mind was not any more difficult than making a pencil float in midair. But of course, the task proved I was wrong, as it has been nearly _three_ hours and I have not looked away from the coffee table once. I growled in indignation and fell back into the couch while crossing my arms grumpily. _You're thinking too hard about what you want to do_, I thought to myself and then wrinkled my nose. _Just relax_, I coaxed and then uncrossed my arms to rest them beside my legs. _Clear. Your mind… _I closed my eyes and removed the tension from my face and body, I remained completely still for some time and then peeled my eyes open to stare at the paper. It was slowly curling around itself in circles, while floating in midair, like a lazy paper tornado and I smiled. _Not _exactly_ what I had in mind, but close enough_. I remained seated, just watching the paper swirl around and then it burst into flames causing me jump.

The flames ate at the paper until there was nothing and then the ashes fell to the table and I stared at it with wide, fearful eyes. This time, it wasn't me; I was not supposed to be able to control fire; I was only capable of moving things with my mind. _Ha! I can _move things_ with my _mind_, _I scoffed incredulously. It was no wonder I was often called insane. I peered down at the ashes on my coffee table and tilted my head curiously to the side as they began to swirl around the table. I knew that I was not making them move because my mind was too scattered to be able to concentrate long enough to do so and I watched in anticipation as the ashes began to form letters.

KM. SOS. – B.

"What?" I questioned out loud and then squinted at the letters, my mouth curved over the letters individually as I mouthed them quietly. KM. SOS. – B.? KM… KM?

My eyes widened and I stood up hastily from the couch. Klaus Mikaelson. SOS. Bonnie. Klaus had Bonnie. Quickly, I ran for the door and sprinted to find Damon and Stefan, hell, even Caroline would be helpful right now, just as long as I could leave Elena out. A human should not be getting mixed up in vampire business as often as she does. I burst through the front door of the Salvatore boarding house – not even bothering to knock – to find that the living room was empty, which was odd considering the fact that someone was _always _lounging around there. I did a quick sweep of the room and then the dining room but still found nothing. It was actually extremely eerie to wander around the Salvatore house when no one was home; everything echoed because it was so large and the lack of people made it seem so uninviting.

"Hello!?" I called out, my voice reaching all corners of the boarding house and I looked back again, towards the front door. There was no answer, so I strode over to the door. "Stefan, Damon!?" I bellowed, and then I heard a faint moan and I flashed over to where the stairs led up to the first floor. Alaric was crumpled in a heap on the first landing of the stairs and I rushed over to help him up. That was when the door opened and I heard Stefan's voice. He was talking on the phone as he walked closer to us and I slowly pulled Alaric to his feet while asking him what happened.

It was then that Stefan noticed us and he gazed at us with alarm. "What the hell happened to you?"

Alaric leaned heavily onto my shoulder while coughing and then winced heavily, his eyes squinting in pain, "Rebekah happened," he muttered and Stefan and I shared a look.

Stefan turned away from me and murmured into the phone, "We have a problem." He then hung up and I half dragged Alaric over to the couches in the living room.

"What do you mean, 'Rebekah happened'?" I asked while dropping the teacher onto the couch and I turned to watch Stefan walk into the room with a grim expression. "Stefan, what the hell is going on? Where's Damon?"

Stefan gave me a look that clearly expressed he didn't want to deal with me at the moment and Alaric looked uncomfortable. Instantly I knew that they were keeping something from me again, but I chose not react instantly this time.

"Rebekah attacked me and then she took Damon," Alaric explained.

I threw my hands up in frustration, allowing them to fall back and smack against my thighs, "Why the hell would Rebekah take Damon?"

"It's got something to do with Sage," Alaric confessed and I caught Stefan's 'shut up' look that was aimed at the teacher. I was aware of who Sage was and I gritted my teeth against the thought that Damon had something to do with her. Even in my young age her reputation was notorious. At nine hundred years old she was still more than capable of dragging out all ten rounds in a fight. I rolled my eyes because that's just what we needed, another obscenely old vampire breathing down our necks.

Glaring at the both of them I stalked off into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of ice from the freezer and stared imploringly at the clump of it wrapped in the dish towel. Why on earth did they have ice? _Alcohol?_ I answered myself and I shook my head before stomping back into the room and throwing the homemade ice pack at Alaric. He caught it clumsily and I huffed. "I know the two of you are hiding something from me, and I don't appreciate the secrets. I'm going to walk out that door; if you don't tell me what you're hiding before I leave then you had better hope I don't find out later," I snapped and headed towards the door at a normal pace. I had to admit that I was a little disappointed when neither of them made a move to stop me so when I stepped out onto the front step and closed the door behind me I allowed my shoulders to slump forward. I didn't like being kept in the dark, but obviously, whatever it was they were hiding had to involve the Originals in some way. I knew how vindictive Rebekah could be when she wanted something, but I did not know her to be the type of person that acts without provocation.

~O~

The front door to the Mikaelson mansion opened silently and I stepped lightly inside while trying my hardest to close the door just as silently as it had opened behind me. The foyer was empty, and from what I could tell, so were the other rooms that connected to it. I sneaked inside and peered into the rooms and eventually I looked into a sitting room a little ways away from the foyer. Bonnie was there, facing me and Klaus stood before her with his back to me. She caught my eye with a frightened expression of her own. I shook my head slightly and pressed a finger to my lips and then disappeared, but not before I heard Klaus threaten her mother, and Jeremy. My blood boiled as I maneuvered through the house, eventually coming to a pair of beautiful white doors with gold trimming and designs. I reached my hand out to grasp the handles and slowly, I turned them and pushed the doors open slightly, wincing at the light creaking noise they made. I paused, but it didn't seem like I had drawn anyone's attention to me so I slipped inside, closing the doors behind me.

When I turned around, I was not expecting to see what was before me but I stood there in stunned silence as I took in Damon's slack form. He was tethered to the ceiling by what appeared to be a pair of… _bear traps?_ I questioned silently and rushed over to him to take his face in my hands. He groaned and struggled to lift his head and I shushed him while pushing his blood crusted hair from his face. Small sounds of discomfort escaped his throat – like he was trying to speak and I lifted his head up by the chin to look him in the eyes. His usual bright blues were no longer so lively; they were dull and in pain and my lips turned into a frown.

"Liv…wh-what a-a—"

"Shh…" I whispered and covered his lips with the tips of my fingers, "Everything's going to be alright, I'm going to get you out."

His body jerked away from me but I clung on, trying to keep the chains from making too much sound. I felt his lips move under my fingers. "Y- nee…to go…n..ow," he strained and I shook my head stubbornly, twisting my neck up to peer at the traps that were clamped around his wrists. "She...'ll k-kill, you…" he groaned again and I reached up with my hand and gently pried open the sharp toothed clamp, the sudden release causing him to groan loudly.

"If you keep talking, she will find me."

"It's a little late for that." I spun around with a wide eyed look to face the little blonde vampire who stood there with an unimpressed look on her face, her lips turned down into a pout.

"Rebekah…" I cautioned while Damon's slack form rested against me, in order to relieve his other wrist that was still trapped from the weight of his sagging body. The blonde beauty slunk towards me while a small smile tugged on her lips, one that suggested she was up to no good. "I heard you come in, but I thought I'd let you have your fun trying to save him."

I swallowed with difficulty as she came to stand inches away from me, her eyes never wavered from mine and I fought to hold her gaze, even though I wanted to look away, desperately. "Bekah, I don't know what you're doing to Damon, but this isn't righ—"

Rebekah's hand came up and wrapped around my throat, the last part of my sentence dying in my throat and she threw me to the side like I weighed no more than a pillow. I landed harshly on the floor some feet away and began to stir gently, as I listened to her reattach the trap to Damon's previously freed wrist. Her footsteps emerged slowly into my line of sight and she hoisted me up by the back of my shirt, escorting me out of the room where she then threw me down for a second time. This time I landed on my back in the room where Bonnie and Klaus stood. He looked down at me in surprise and turned to watch Rebekah saunter into the room. I coughed and brought my hand up to press it gently against the back of my skull and I winced at the soreness. Bonnie was staring at me with wide eyes and I could see the apology written all over them; I shook my head once and tried to get to my feet.

Rebekah grabbed me again and threw me up against the wall before pinning me there with a firm grip to the throat. "Why are you here?" She sneered and I tried to swallow through the dryness in my mouth, but the action didn't get past her hand.

"I-I was looking for Damon," I choked out while my eyes glanced back at Bonnie who was standing rigidly behind Klaus, who had a small, but amused expression on his face. "Wh-what did he do to you to deserve _that_?" I asked and her eyes darkened, her grip slackening a little from around my throat.

"That's not your concern—"

"It has something to do with Sage, right?" I inquired hastily, "If it does, then why is she not here too? Why is only Damon suffering?"

"Sage has her own purpose, and she is fulfilling it as we speak," Klaus informed pleasantly and I glanced at him.

Rebekah continued to hold me against the wall as she looked down at me with a calculating expression. There was coldness in her eyes, but behind all that ice I could see a little girl trying to break free. "Did he hurt you… or something?" She didn't react, but I instantly knew that he had. Even for the brief amount of time that Rebekah and I had been friends during the twenties, it was obvious that she wore her heart on her sleeve. She wore her emotions like a shield, and God forbid you even _tried_ to scratch them.

I stretched my hand out to brush her hair back and she flinched away from me, like I was going to attack, but I just let my hand hang there in midair and then moved forward, my finger wrapping around a strand of blonde hair and pushing it behind her ear. "I get it, Bekah," I urged gently, seeing her eyes soften slightly, "I do. You're hurting because of whatever it was that Damon did to you and you want payback." I sympathized. Her grip softened even more, to the point where it was just pressed against my throat as if in warning. "But do you see me going after Kol…or even Klaus for that matter? No." I finished and almost instantly, her hand closed around my throat again, her eyes darkening dangerously.

"You don't go after them because you can't. You're not strong enough."

"Does having supreme strength give you the right to hurt people?" I asked in disappointment and her face turned just a fraction in response. "Does it give you the right to just take what you want and give nothing in return?" I chided, my voice coming out in a rush.

"But it's just so much more fun," she purred with a smirk and I winced a little at her malice. What had happened to the girl I once knew?

"How are people supposed to like you if you don't give them a reason to?" I demanded hotly and she pulled her face back in surprise. "You managed to get me to like you," I reminded, "In the twenties. I thought you were a nice person, someone who was _worth_ my time. Show me that you can be that person again, and maybe, _just maybe_, we can try to be friends again."

Rebekah stepped back, her hand sliding to press firmly against my chest and then she gave me a slight shove and stalked out of the room. I scrambled to go follow her, thinking that maybe she was going to release Damon, but Klaus stepped in my way and I jumped back. His hands were clasped behind him and he wore a pleasant smile. His voice was gentle when he spoke, but I did not miss the danger lurking within his darkened gaze causing my body to stiffen.

"You can stay right there." A helpless look crossed my face and then I heard Damon cry out in pain and I tried to spin around to avoid Klaus but his arm shot out and he threw me backwards. Bonnie ran to my side and helped me sit up and we both glowered heatedly in his direction. He smiled wider, his eyebrows rising, "Let's not try that little trick again, shall we?" He then turned on his heel and left the room, but not before he tossed over his shoulder, "I had better start hearing some chanting soon!"

Bonnie's hands were gentle as she pulled me up and I dusted myself off before turning to stare at her. "I got your message," I muttered quietly and she nodded before returning to the arm chair with the spell book opened before it. I followed quietly and placed my hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Bonnie, I'm sor—"

Her hand came up and grabbed mine, holding it tightly in hers and I knew she had forgiven me. After a fairly long period of silence I glanced at the spell book and took a seat beside her, "What… are you doing?" I asked and she looked up at me with an exhausted expression on her face.

"Klaus is forcing me to break the spell that binds him and his siblings together." I jostled in my sitting position and she pulled a box over to her and opened it. Inside were four half bottles of blood and she pointed each of them out, labeling one per original. "He threatened my mom, and he threatened Jeremy…" she whined and I closed my eyes in pain before taking her hands in mine.

"Do what you need to do," I muttered while holding her gaze and she nodded, "The others will understand." I then stood up and wandered around the room with an anxious bounce to my step. It was then that I heard another agonized cry and against my better judgment, I rushed towards the sound but Klaus appeared before me and I slammed into his chest before reeling backwards.

Klaus grabbed me tightly by the bicep and tugged me closer, so I wouldn't fall. His gaze then shifted between Bonnie and I, clearly unimpressed and he glowered down at me. "I think you're proving to be more of a distraction to my witch, than an asset, Olivia," he sneered and began to drag me away. I dug my heels into the floor but I merely slid, occasionally stumbling. He carted me down a hallway and through a set of doors, before escorting me inside. His grip remained firm and I could feel the muscles aching and just when they could handle no more he tossed me lightly into the room and stood at the door, blocking the only way out.

"What the hell, Klaus?" I snarled viciously and tried to go around him but he blocked me each time. "I swear to God that, if you don't let me out of here, I'll snap your neck _again_!"

Hearing the threat, Klaus' eyes hardened and he took a menacing step towards me, then another and another until he had me backed against the furthest wall from the exit. His face loomed down above mine and I pressed against the wall as tightly as I could to put some distance between us. "You know, Olivia," he growled as his hand came up to rest beside my head, "I've been thinking a lot about that incident and in all my one thousand years I have only met a small handful of people who are willing to challenge me." There was a hidden threat in his strategic observation and I glared at him. "But no one quite like you. Nothing I have ever seen was able to attack me in such a way, without laying a hand on me… none that I have allowed, anyway."

I held his gaze stubbornly and when he reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ears, I jerked away from him. Klaus Mikaelson was the last person on earth whose touch I would welcome, or even tolerate. He smiled slightly and pushed away from the wall, "I look forward to finding out your deepest secrets, Miss Knight." He teased and then left the room in a flash. Before I could react and run to the door, I heard a click and I knew I was locked in.

_Now what_?


	11. A Heart Already Claimed

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I made a minor change to the end of the previous chapter, if you want to, go back and give the last couple of paragraphs a second read because it hints towards a later development in the story. Thanks for your time, and please REVIEW!**

I lost track of how long I sat in the room that Klaus had forced me into. It had to have been hours though. Occasionally, I could still hear Damon's muffled cries of pain and each time I would run to the door and pull furiously against the lock, but it never budged. The only thing I could do was pace, but if I continued to do so, I would wear a hole into their nice hardwood. It would be slightly satisfying to ruin their floors but it just wasn't worth it, the payback didn't suit the deed. I sat down on the soft couch in a huff and glared out the window, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. I sat back and furiously tapped out a beat with my fingers and then stood to walk around the room. I was like a caged animal itching to break free… _break free?_ I turned back to the door and rolled my eyes at my stupidity, I was a vampire for crying out loud, why didn't I just _break_ the doors down in the first place?

I stomped over to the beautiful doors and felt a brief pang of guilt that I would have to destroy something so elegant, but I shrugged the thought off and readied myself for the blow. My hands curled into fists and my eyes darkened and I was just about to lift my foot when I heard the lock click out of place and I froze. Someone was coming in, so I flashed back to the couch to sit down again, making it seem like I hadn't just planned to kick their door down. My hand gripped the arm rest as I glowered at the wall opposite me, eyeing the grand details of the fireplace before me. I didn't hear the door close again and the person who had entered didn't say anything so I blew out harshly through my mouth; _I am not going to be the one who speaks first. He was the one who locked me in here._

"What, no witty retort, love?" a teasing voice announced their presence and I whipped my head around to look at him. Kol was standing there with a smug smile on his face. He wore a black jacket that he had zipped up and a scarf around his neck and behind him, the door was ajar. I eyed him like a rabbit would a snake and I stood up cautiously. He watched my every move, calculating what I would do next and I walked around the back of the couch. My gaze flicked to the open door and he shifted his body so it blocked my view, a hardness crept into his eyes, "Don't even think about it."

Oh I thought about it, and I acted quickly. I ran towards him and tried to slip around him but his arm shot out and caught me around the chest, his other hand felt around behind him until he grasped the handle and he quickly shut the doors behind him where they snapped shut. "What did I just say?" he growled and I threw myself to the other side, attempting to knock him off balance, but he caught me again and shoved me lightly back into the room. Again, I tried to go around him and every time he got in my way, the hardness quickly softening into something playful – like he was actually _enjoying_ the game.

I snarled angrily and spun around to stomp further into the room and then I whirled back around and put my hands on my hips. "What the hell are you doing here, anyways?"

"I live here," he stated simply while plucking some invisible lint from his jacket and I glared at him, my arms crossing in front of my chest. "When it suits my fancy," he smiled charmingly and I narrowed my eyes at him, not believing his bullshit for a second. Klaus disappeared for a time before he hauled me into this room; this was his doing. Kol shook his head and then raised a hand in defeat, "Alright, alright. Klaus called. I came running."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now you come at Klaus's beck and call?" I snapped, "You've become a wonderful lap dog, Kol. Perhaps he'll throw you a bone later."

He had me pinned against the wall in an instant and his hands gripped me tightly by the shoulders. He glared heatedly into my eyes and his face loomed inches from mine, "I only do as Klaus asks when it suits me," he hissed and his hand came up to cup my face, his thumb rubbing against my cheek. "You were the favour he needed taken care of; I couldn't just pass up the opportunity, could I?"

"Ah, placed on babysitting duty, are we?" I sneered and he pressed his thumb against my lips.

His nose was touching mine and I could feel his breath against my skin. "This mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble," he murmured with a thoughtful smile. "I intend to be there when it does." Suddenly, he was no longer pressing me against the wall and he was across the room. A fire had started and he was poking at it with one of the tools, when the flames were at a good size for him he turned around to remove his jacket and threw it onto the arm of a chair and then sat down in it to watch me. I refused to look at him as I walked aimlessly around the room. I'd stride over to the window to look at the courtyard and I'd wander back, then I'd sit down for a few seconds but the minute I heard Damon cry out, I was on my feet again, staring at the door. I knew there was no use in trying to get to him, not with an Original body guard and so I resorted back to my pacing, flinching every time I heard Damon's pain filled voice.

In one particular instance Damon's cry was unbearable and I rushed to the door only for Kol to grab my wrist and drag me back to him. My arm shot out and I was seconds away from connecting with his face when he grabbed that wrist too and spun me, trapping my hands behind my back and thus immobilizing me to the point where I had to rely on him to keep me standing. His lips were at my ear and with each word they brushed against the sensitive skin, sending uncontrollable chills down my spine. "What is it about Damon Salvatore that's got you in such knots?" He growled into my ear and I struggled violently against his grip. His hands let go briefly, but he had me spun around to face him again, his hands wrapped around my elbows and he pulled me against his chest. We were so close that every time I took a breath my chest touched his. "Is it love, my sweet little dove?" He purred and I glared at him, "Does my little dove _love_ Damon Salvatore?"

"He's my friend," I exploded and my hands shoved against his biceps, my back curving as I tried to put distance between us, but he only held on harder. "Of course I care that your sister is fucking _torturing him_." I snarled and he smirked darkly at me. "And I'm not _your little anything_," I hissed and my fingers bit into his arm to the point where I could feel my nails pierce his flesh.

Kol winced and shoved me away harshly. I landed on my back on the carpeted floor and I lay there gasping for breath because the wind had been knocked out of me. "You want to know what I think, _darling_?" He questioned maliciously while I scrambled to my feet and backed into the wall, away from his prowling form. "I think you _want_ to love Damon Salvatore, but no matter _how hard_ you try, you just _can't_."

I stared at him with wide eyes as he crept closer to me, my breaths were shallow and quick and when he came before me again his hands placed threateningly near my head I winced, my eyes closing out of fear. "News flash, love," he purred, "_wanting_ to love someone just _isn't enough_."

It was then that I caught the scent of Stefan and my head snapped towards the door. I heard him call out for Klaus and then nothing, the conversation too quiet for me to hear. Then a horrifying scream filled the air. It was Damon again, but this was much worse than any of the other cries I heard before I could feel the pain in his voice like it was my own and the agony made my skin crawl.

"Damon!" I screamed, the tears welling in my eyes and I suddenly propelled myself forward, my shoulder digging into Kol's chest and I knocked him clear across the room. I didn't wait to watch him land, I had already thrown the doors open and I was sprinting towards the room where Rebekah had Damon chained. As quickly as the sounds began, they stopped and I burst into the room as Klaus's hand wrapped around Damon's throat. Stefan turned around and shot me a look of surprise and my hands rose to muffle a sob that escaped from my lips. Behind me I sensed that Kol had wandered in and I felt his hand curve around my shoulder and I shrugged it off.

"Minus the stake in my brother, how many more stakes are there that can kill me?"

I felt Kol stiffen behind me and I swallowed. _When did they find more White Oak, and _where? I asked silently and I glanced at the bag at Stefan's feet then back up to Klaus and Damon.

"Eleven," Damon spat bitterly and I knew he had been compelled.

"Eleven!" Klaus crowed with false joy, "Really? So not eight, then?" I was too stunned to concentrate on Klaus' sudden shouting but I caught the look on his face and the look of defeat on Damon's. Suddenly, Stefan was launching himself at Klaus and my head shot up to watch. Stefan had pulled out a White Oak dagger from nowhere and had it aimed at Klaus' heart but with a single threat to his and Damon's lives Stefan stepped down.

"There, now you only have to get me two."

I thought I was about to lose it. Why the _hell_ did he always come out on top?

"Well this is ridiculous," Rebekah scoffed and I turned around with enough time to watch her pull the traps open from around Damon's wrists. I didn't listen to the rest of what she said and I flashed over to him. Bending down, I placed my hand on his bare chest and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, then I slowly pushed the both of us to a standing position. He was leaning heavily against me and each time we moved a little too quickly, he groaned in pain and I had to pause. I glowered at Rebekah's retreating back as she strutted out of the room with the bag of stakes and started to half drag, half carry Damon's body closer to Stefan. Damon's blood was soaking through my sweater and I stumbled a little with the awkwardness of carrying dead weight, as it wasn't very often that I was hauling bodies around. Stefan stepped forward and took him off of me and we shared a look; he looked sorry about what had happened and I nodded.

I paused for a few minutes to watch Stefan help Damon out of the house and then I looked back at Klaus whose face had darkened into something more inhuman than usual. My lips curled in disgust and I shook my head then stalked out of the room. I was about to walk out the front door but Kol's hand shot out and he grabbed my arm. I stopped walking but continued to stare at Stefan as he helped Damon to the car.

"Like I said," Kol began and I turned to face him although I couldn't stand the sight of him. "Wanting to love someone just isn't enough." I was fully aware that Klaus was watching us but I refused to look at him. Kol reached out and grabbed me by the chin to force me to look him in the eyes. "Be honest with yourself, Olivia." He purred and I was aware that the Salvatore's could probably hear everything being said. "I own your heart and you can't give away what's not yours." I felt an emptiness spread throughout me and it was cold and uninviting.

"You will _always_ be _mine_."

I glared at him and wrenched my arm from his grip and then stormed outside where I soon found myself slipping into the back seat of Stefan's car.

~O~

The following afternoon, I, once again, found myself at the Salvatore boarding house. However, I already knew that Damon was the only one home and so I just let myself inside. Damon was flaked out on the couch with a glass half filled with blood, his arm covering his eyes and he wasn't wearing a shirt. I sat down quietly on the coffee table and watched him closely, but it wasn't long until he lifted his arm from his face and squinted up at me. He certainly didn't look as broken as he did last night and that made me feel a little better.

He stared at me, and I stared at him and then he sighed while sitting up. He leaned closer to me to place his glass on the table and then sat back to watch me with a blank stare.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly and he shrugged half heartedly.

"Better than yesterday," he replied dryly and I smiled slightly, the action not meeting my eyes. I stood up from the table and took a seat beside him and I casually threw my leg over his knee. We sat like this for a while, not speaking, and I grabbed his hand and placed it in my lap while I played with his fingers and massaged his palm. He watched me for some time before sighing deeply and pulling his hand from mine and pushing my leg off of his. He then stood up, after grabbing his glass, and while on his way to the cabinet that he kept his alcohol stash in, he downed the rest of the blood. I studied his back as he poured bourbon into the glass and took a drink. I stood up to follow and I wrapped my arms around him from behind.

Damon set the glass down and pulled my arms away from him. He turned to stand in front of me and I stared at him in surprise.

"I thought you wanted a break from this? To step away and just be _friends_?" He reminded me and I squinted at him, confused that he was actually taking me up on my offer.

I smiled warmly and pressed my hands to his chest and allowed them to slide up so I could hold his face in my hands. I leaned upwards and pressed my lips against his. "Perhaps I changed my mind," I whispered and kissed him again but he pushed me away and I fell into the back of the couch.

He glowered at me and I made an incredulous sound in the back of my throat, "Damon, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you, Olivia?" He snarled and appeared in front of me, his face inches from mine. "I am not some _toy_ you can come back to when you're_ bored_."

I narrowed my eyes dangerously at him, "Oh? And how many times did you come to me when _you_ were bored?" I snarled right back and he stepped away.

"You didn't seem to mind me being in your bed," he hissed and I slapped him hard across the face.

"How dare you," I implored slowly and he dragged his face back to look at me, "This is _not_ about me." I moved around the couch and headed for the door but Damon appeared in front of me and blocked my way.

"I am not an idiot, Olivia. So don't you dare assume that I am. I heard what Kol said to you yesterday." I was stunned for a moment because a part of me had hoped that he hadn't heard the last exchange of words between Kol and I. "So your heart belongs to him, _does it_?" He sneered while taking a step towards me and I backed up once, "And you'll always be his, _right_?"

I looked away because my eyes began to fill with tears; once again, the Originals were ruining everything for me. "I am not _his_," I snapped, trying to sound firm but my voice cracked with the weight of my tears and he smirked in satisfaction.

"Oh yes you are! You just won't admit it. And the only reason you're here is to get back at him!"

I shook my head furiously, "That's not true! I want you. I want to love you!"

"No!" He bellowed and I jumped, "All you want is to make him jealous, because even after all these years, you haven't let go of him. Even after learning the truth you still want to hurt him for making you fall in love with him. You want him to pay for making you so dependent on him. You're just angry because you let him get close enough to hurt you."

I let out a shaky breath as tears poured down my face and I thought he was done, but he wasn't. "I will not be your scapegoat, Olivia, and I will not be your second best."

"Damon," I whined while my hand reached out to touch his arm but he moved away and glared at me, "Damon, you're not my second best –"

He was already at the door holding it open pointedly and my shoulders slumped in defeat. "Get. Out." He snarled and he didn't have to tell me twice.

~O~

I was thankful that the Grill was open late every night. Tonight of all nights, I really wasn't in the mood to go home and wallow. A young man walked out of the main entrance into the Grill and held the door for me as I entered. I thanked him quietly and made my way inside, eternally grateful that it wasn't all that busy tonight. I strode over to the bar and threw myself onto a stool, and when the bartender came over, I weakly asked him for three shots of their best whiskey. He did as I asked and I downed them quickly, relishing in how the burn of the alcohol numbed some of the pain I was feeling. I wasn't used to getting rejected, especially by someone who uses sex as a release as much as I do. I quickly flagged the bartender down again and ordered three more rounds. They were gone just as quick as the first three. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and realized how shaky it was. I ordered another three shots and after the second one, I heard a voice drawl from beside me.

"Easy there love. I don't think the bar will run out of whiskey any time soon."

I grabbed the third shot and tossed it back and then I turned to face the source of the voice while swallowing slowly. Klaus sat there with his elbow balanced on the bar top, a lazy smile graced his lips and I rolled my eyes. "Then again," he added as an afterthought, "If you keep going at the rate you are, you might just run them dry."

"Oh, fuck off," I snapped and ordered a trio of vodka shots because I was in the mood to shake it up a little.

"That's not very ladylike."

"Never said I was a lady," I quipped while tossing the first shot glass of clear liquid down my throat.

"True. It definitely isn't very ladylike to use a man to make another jealous…"

I slammed the third empty vodka shot glass down on the table, upside down and glowered at Klaus who met me with a pointed look. "You're probably right," I agreed sarcastically. "It's also not very gentlemanly to be a self preserving, arrogant _dick_ who parades his family around in boxes like he's going to a _puppet show_," I finished with a snarl and threw down a hundred dollar bill to cover my costs before storming out of the bar.

I stood outside with my arms crossed and began walking towards the center of town. Such an arrogant bastard, Klaus was, coming up to me and judging like he did. _How dare he_? I snarled to myself and kicked at a stone by my feet; it bounced ahead of me and landed in the grass. Of all the things Klaus has done since arriving in town he has the _balls _to judge me? _I'd really like to boil him from the inside out…_ I turned down a street that was a little darker than normal and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jacket. I couldn't shake the image of Damon's face as I left; even with the amount of alcohol I had running through my system, could see his anger as clearly as if he were standing before me. I suppose I had tried to use him, to fill a hole that had opened up within me, but I hadn't lied to him. I did want to love him, but he deserved more than that. I sighed deeply to myself as I headed towards my street, when I swear I could hear footsteps behind me. I whirled around quickly but found no one there, so I turned back and continued to walk, this time at a slightly faster pace. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I strained my ears for the slightest sound. I heard the wings of birds rustling in the wind and the scamper of little claws against tree bark as squirrels bolted up and down the trees but I couldn't pick out any more footsteps that were close by. I slowed down again and turned onto my street, but just as I rounded a corner, a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed me around the throat. I struggled viciously, trying to break free but they were so strong that I didn't stand a chance. Their arm wrapped tightly around my neck and the breath in my lungs disappeared. With one violent twist of my head to the side and an explosion of pain, I sunk into darkness.


	12. A Battle of Pride and Pain

It was the ache in my shoulders that brought me out of my unconscious state and I slowly lifted my head up to look around the room I was in. From what I could tell it was dark, but whether that was because the lights were off or it was dark outside I wasn't sure, so I craned my neck to get a better look. Evidently, this was not a good idea because the effort I put into trying to look behind me forced my body to twist slightly and I moaned painfully as I felt sharp, bladed teeth dig into my wrists. I cast my eyes upwards and realized that I was in the same position that Damon had been in yesterday and once I realized this, the pain became almost unbearable. I could feel the cold metal violating the delicate flesh of my wrist, I could feel it separating the tendons and the muscles and with every fraction of an inch that I moved, I could feel the metal rip through the muscle. Above everything that I could _feel, _the worst part was that I could _hear_ the metal scrape against the fragile bones of my wrist. Blood trailed down my arms like thin red snakes and I tried to stretch my feet towards the floor with the utmost care in order to relieve some of the strain my body weight put on my destroyed wrists, but to no avail. My legs just weren't long enough to touch the floor. My entire body went slack as I hanged there, my body swaying slightly causing the chains above to creak ominously. Each time my body oscillated from side to side the metal would rip a little more into the flesh, causing me to whimper pitifully and then sink my teeth into my lip to keep from crying out. On one occasion I bit down too hard and drew blood, coating my mouth with red while the tears slipped one by one down my cheeks.

There was no way for me to tell how long I've been hanging in this room, it could have been hours, _days_ even. A curious thought about what my friends were doing right now flitted across my mind and I forced them away. Surely if I had been here for days, they would be looking for me… right? I cleared my mind of all the clutter and tried to focus on the bear traps that were imbedded into my wrists and how I wanted them to spring open so I could escape, but I was so scared that I couldn't focus. The pain was too much for me to ignore and I swallowed hard through a sticky mouth, my breath coming out in rasps. It was then that I heard ominous footsteps creep closer to the room and my fingers brushed against the chains, desperate to hold onto something for stability. I listened as the lock of the door jiggled slightly, and then clicked open before the door was slowly pushed open to reveal a sliver of light that grew longer and wider as the door opened further. The sudden brightness burned my eyes and I jerked my head to the side to escape the assault but the sudden movement disturbed the traps at my wrists and I felt an excruciating sensation as the muscle and tendon tissues were shredded further, causing an inhuman groan of pain to burst through my lips. Blood pooled at my wrists and around the metal teeth and then slowly oozed down my arm; at a time, the warmth of blood would provide a comfort to me but, seeing as it was my own blood, it proved to be very unpleasant.

I heard the door shut again and then a light was turned on, basking the room in a white glow. The contrast was surely something else when taking in the white and gold walls, the elegant wood trim and furniture, as well as the cool marble floors, but when all of this grandeur was wrapped up with a plastic sheet covered in splotches of sticky redness and tied up all nice and neat with bear traps attached to macabre black chains, we've got ourselves a party. Begrudgingly, I peeled my eyes open and stared at the ground. Slowly, someone's shoes stepped into my view and I took note of how expensive they looked. I felt someone place their fingers under my chin and they lifted my head up so I could look at them. Of course, it was the Devil himself who slid into my line of sight but I couldn't even be bothered to roll my eyes, all I could do was moan weakly which brought a sick smile to his face.

"Glad to see you're awake," Klaus' voice was silky smooth as it caressed my ears and I pursed my lips in agitation, the dried layer of gore cracking uncomfortably.

I coughed dryly after trying to speak and I had to wait until the fit subsided before I opened my mouth again. Klaus waited patiently, like he had all the time in the world, well, actually, _he did_ have all the time in the world. "H-how long… have I been here?" I wheezed and he let go of my chin to take a step back while clasping his hands behind his back in a relaxed pose.

"About twelve hours now," he said pleasantly and I closed my eyes in disbelief. "I snapped your neck a few times before I even put you in those chains, it seems you heal faster than normal vampires – we'll have to play with that."

"_Play_ with that?" I questioned and I watched him walk casually over to a table at the side of the room.

"Seeing as you're awake now," he grinned and picked up a fairly large knife, the blade glittered dangerously and from where I was, I could see how sharp it was. "We can get to the real fun."

My eyes bugged a little and I swallowed fearfully but when he turned back to face me while his fingers fondled the tip of the blade lovingly, I wiped all emotion off of my face. I was not going to let Klaus _fucking_ Mikaelson take pleasure out of my weakness. I watched him steadily as he sauntered over to my hanging form and as he stood before me, I held his gaze with a coldness that could rival his own. I felt the burn of his gaze as it ran down my body and then as it followed the bright red trails down my arms. He looked at me as if appreciating a fine piece of artwork, where my body was the canvas and my wounds and the blood that trailed from them, the paint. In a flash he had ripped open the front of my shirt and it hung from my arms like two rags; the way he stared at me like I was merely a plaything rather than a person made me uncomfortable and I squirmed under his icy gaze.

He began to prowl around me and I felt his lips by my ear when he passed my back, "Do I make you…_ uncomfortable_?" He purred and I shivered unconsciously. He was gone as quickly as he appeared behind me and once again, he faced me with a cool, calculating gaze. Slowly, he lifted the knife and dragged it across my right cheek and blood pooled at the surface. I made no move to acknowledge the sharp pinch of my skin being split; I just continued to stare blankly. In response he dragged the blade across the other cheek, and as the first cut healed, a second was opened. Klaus stepped back when I refused to react again and I caught a flash of frustration but it quickly changed into pleasure.

I was unable to prepare myself for his next assault. Suddenly the tip of the blade was digging into my collarbone and in an agonizingly slow movement, Klaus dragged the blade in a downward curve towards my hipbone. My jaw squared involuntarily and my hands gripped the chains tightly causing the healing gashes on my wrist to violently reopen. A lone tear escaped from the corner of my eye as the layers of pain built on top of one another. Before the slash healed he dragged the blade a second and third time across my abdomen, crisscrossing over the first. I bit down on my lip and the skin broke again and the blood that flooded my mouth caused me to cough harshly as some of it trickled down my throat the wrong way.

"Well aren't you the stubborn one?" He simpered quietly and I lifted my head to spit at his feet. Flecks of blood splattered his shoe and I grinned bitterly.

He looked down at the blood on his shoes and then back at me with a blasé expression. "Of course bleeding you dry of any vervain in your system will take some time – but of all things, time is the only thing I've got an excess of."

My head shot up and I looked at him in horror. _No, he couldn't bleed me dry_! I shook my head furiously and the movement caused my body to twist from side to side and the bear traps bit further into my flesh.

"Afraid of a little blood, love?" Klaus purred as he dragged the blade across my abdomen again and I let out in involuntary groan, my body quivering as my skin split open like a zipper.

"There is no vervain in my system," I snarled, my eyes smoldering dangerously, "I don't believe in putting myself through more pain than necessary, even if it helps in the long run."

"If that is, indeed, the truth, then why can I not compel you?"

I looked at him in disgust and spit at his feet again and then grinned mockingly, "Having performance issues, Klaus?"

My snarky comment didn't sit well with Klaus as he had his hand wrapped around my throat so suddenly I had no time to suck in a breath. "Kol might tolerate your smart mouth, Miss Knight, _but I will not_." His gaze challenged mine and I held it stubbornly. "Why can't you be compelled if you're not on vervain."

"Allow me let you in on a little secret, Klaus," I sneered. "I've never been compelled in my life." It was refreshing to watch Klaus Mikaelson show weakness. The confusion was written all over his face and I laughed loudly at how pathetic he looked. "That's right _Ni_klaus," I drawled, my tongue playing with the first part of his name, "I lied. Your intention may have been to compel me to jump in front of that train, one hundred years ago, but it didn't _work_," I snarled and I watched as the Original Hybrid's face flicker between his three different faces. "I jumped of my own accord."

Klaus stepped back to gaze at me coldly and I tilted my head to the side, challenging him. "If you want answers, Klaus. You're going to have to work a lot harder than you have been." His face twitched and in a flash he was before me again and his arm shot upwards, driving the blade deep into my abdomen. I could feel it pierce though my kidney and I cried out in pain, he then ripped it out again and threw it onto the plastic sheet before stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

After the lock clicked back in place, I began to laugh a true, maniacal laugh.

~O~

It was hours later before Klaus returned. I know this because I counted. When he did return he carried a bucket of what appeared to be water and he set it down near my feet while throwing a sponge onto the surface. He smiled pleasantly at me and I could only imagine what I looked like to him. Nothing but a hot mess with a blood smeared face and tear tracks cutting through the red stains. The places where the blood had dried were beginning to itch as my skin tugged at them and I squirmed uncomfortably, the metal teeth reopening my wounds slightly, eliciting a quiet whimper from me.

"You look a little worse for wear, love," Klaus teased as he stood before me, "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

I stared straight ahead as he bent down to soak the sponge in water. Was he honestly going to give me a _sponge bath_? How fucking humiliating! I was so caught up in pointedly staring at the entrance into the room that I hadn't noticed the thick, rubber gloves that covered Klaus' hands. It wasn't until he pressed the warm sponge to my cheek that I realized what he was doing.

The water was laced with vervain.

The agony was almost instantaneous and I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain. The water trickled down my body like lava and I clenched the chains with an iron-like grip, my back arching against the harsh sting, but not _once_ did I make a sound. Klaus stood back with a mildly impressed expression before bending again to soak the sponge, this time he didn't bother to wring it out and he pressed it against my chest, releasing a waterfall of agony down my abdomen, and when it soaked into my pants it was like I was being wrapped in fire. I writhed against the metal that bit into my flesh causing the barely healed gashes to rip open again. My lips pressed into a thin line and the chains rattled as I pulled on them. Klaus dragged this out for a long time, I tried to keep count in hopes it would distract me but each time he applied that sponge soaked with vervain to my skin, I forgot everything _except_ the pain, but I was proud of myself for not making a single sound.

Finally, after what felt like hours of him just sponging me off, he stepped back to take a look at his handiwork as he threw the sponge back into the bucket. Water splashed across the floor and over my legs and I jerked roughly to the side causing my body to sway in the air. The weight of my body combined with natural gravity worked against me and I felt the traps grate against my bones. Eventually, I just hung there, my head slumped forward and I was breathing heavily, my entire body shaking uncontrollably.

"You know, Olivia. This could all end if you would just answer a few simple questions of mine," Klaus reasoned as he picked the bucket back up and I glared at him.

"I'm no stranger to pain, Klaus," I hissed and he raised his eyebrows. "I expected more out of the great Klaus Mikaelson, though. You're not living up to your reputation considering you have yet to impress me."

"We aim to please," he purred and walked out of the room again, leaving me suspended, wet, and partially naked. _Ugh…_

Klaus returned not too long afterwards and stood before me with his hands clasped behind his back. "How do we feel after almost twenty-four hours in my care?" He hummed.

"Rejuvenated," I spat and he chuckled darkly.

"Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humour," he mused as he wandered over to my right arm and leaned upward to fiddle with the bear trap. I bit down on my tongue as his touch activated a dull throbbing in my wrist; I felt him fiddle with my hand and then I realized my ring was gone.

"Put it back on," I snarled and I lashed out with my leg to kick him but he easily dodged it and it only caused a wave of pain to course through my body. Klaus casually tossed the ring up and down in his hand and backed away from me while making a show to put it in his pocket.

"I think it's time we let some _natural_ light into this room, don't you agree, Liv?" Klaus called out loudly and I stiffened, my head shooting up to look wildly around in fear.

"K-klaus, what are you doing!?" I demanded, while trying to turn around but only causing more agony for myself. "Klaus, please. Don't do this!"

It was too late, I heard the metal curtain rings clang against the rod as Klaus ripped them back and I was quickly bathed in sunlight. I couldn't help it, there was nothing for me to do but scream loudly. I had never screamed in such a way before but the agony was _brutal_, and once I had extinguished all the air in my lungs I couldn't inhale any more. I could feel my skin blistering and the smell of burning flesh was overpowering as I writhed against my restraints; tears were pouring down my face and my throat was beginning to go raw. Suddenly, the room was sent back into darkness as Klaus tugged the curtains back into place and I let my body go limp as I hung there, gasping for air. Klaus wandered back to me and he lifted my head so I could look at him. I had no more strength in my body, I was utterly exhausted but still, I remained stubborn.

"Are you willing to talk now?" He murmured quietly and if I didn't know any better, I'd actually think he was regretting this.

I gave him a murderous look and my foot kicked outwards, connecting with his stomach and he stumbled backwards. He straightened as if I had never touched him and his lips sunk into a frown, "Fine then," he snapped and strode over to the curtains again, "On to round two."

Again, I was bathed in sunlight and again, my screams sounded again like a siren; Klaus walked around me like jungle cat, his eyes glittering maliciously. I sobbed uncontrollably through my cries, my back arching in desperation to escape from the sunlight's assault, but to no avail. The entire room was basking in it from corner to corner. Surely someone could hear me, anyone. Why weren't my friends coming to save me like I had come for them? _You failed to actually help them_… I snarled at myself, _but I still came_ _for them_! I continued to scream until I could do so no more, my throat was shredded from all the yelling and it was agonizingly sore. That was when Klaus pulled the curtains closed again and he walked back towards me and went to stand at the door, his shoulder leaned against the dark wood frame. If it weren't for the bear traps latched onto my wrists I'd be lying on the ground in a heap and unable to move, I was breathing so heavily that my torso expanded noticeably with each breath and every muscle in my limbs quivered from being clenched so tightly.

I didn't see Klaus pull out his phone but I tried to tune in when I heard his voice.

"Yes, I've heard about their little plans. I trust that you've put an end to Mary like I asked?"

I was too weak to listen in on the other person's answer.

"Excellent. Listen, Brother, I have another favour to ask of you."

More silence and I pulled at the chains, Klaus turned back around and fixed me with a hard stare, his finger coming to rest on his lips when he heard me whimper.

"No, I cannot tell you about it. You'll have to come home and find out for yourself."

There was a pause.

"See you soon." Klaus hung up and stowed the phone back into his pocket and then sauntered closer to me.

I didn't even have the strength to glare at him so I just watched him with caution. "Have you had a change of heart, love?" He asked again while his hand came up to brush against my cheek and then to tuck the stray hairs behind my ear. I jerked away from him and my eyes turned to stone when they met with his again and he sighed deeply. "Have it your way, then," he shrugged.

At the sound of the metal rings sliding over the rod again, I was plunged into a third wave of agony.


	13. Poisoned

When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by water. I probably should have panicked, but I didn't; in fact, I felt calmer than I have in a while. It was nice to retreat back into my mind while the sounds above the water pressed against the surface, unable to penetrate. The hollow echo underneath the water was strangely relaxing and I slowly separated myself from my body, allowing my mind to drift off, away from the pain. I let out a long breath that I had been holding within my lungs and a stream of bubbles floated to the top. The way the light hit the pockets of air, highlighting not only the perfections, but the flaws too and I watched on in peace. I imagined that each bubble carried a piece of the pain that I kept locked away in my heart. I imagined that they were carting off all the reservations that I've held onto for years like they were my life line. I imagined that enclosed within each of these bubbles were the layers of my anger and I settled back against the hard white porcelain to watch all the poison in my heart rise to the surface of the water, and explode into the air above. I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling weightless, but the back of my neck prickled as if someone was watching me and I opened my eyes to focus above me. The person's face was a little unfocused because of the water surface so I pushed myself up with my hands and my head broke the surface causing the once muted sounds to explode around my head.

I wiped the water away from my eyes and pushed back the soaked strands of my hair and I turned to face the person who had walked into the bathroom. Kol was standing there with a slack expression on his face but his eyes burned with an intensity as he removed a stack of towels from a stool and pulled it over to the side of the tub. He sat down and rolled up his sleeves to the elbows before resting them on his knees, he stared distractedly at the swan necked taps at the other end of the tub and I pulled my knees closer to my chest and wrapped my arms protectively around them. It wasn't until I looked around the room that I realized that I was at home, in the bathroom that connected to my room. My eyebrow's knitted together and I pressed my lips together while turning my head to look at Kol – ultimately, I was confused. The last thing I remembered was being strung up to the ceiling by a pair of bear traps.

"H-how did I get here?" I demanded and he turned to look at my face with an uncharacteristically concerned expression. He balanced his chin on his knuckles, his pointer fingers coming to create an upside down 'v' against his lips.

"I'm not surprised that you don't remember," he muttered and I looked down at his hands as he pulled them away from his face and rested them on the side of the tub. "You were really out of it when I found you," he explained as he caught my eyes and held them.

"You found me?"

He nodded and reached out to rest a hand on my bare shoulder but when I flinched he pulled it away, "Klaus called me back to town. I suppose he wanted to gloat." I saw how dark his eyes went when he spoke of his brother and I looked away from his gaze. "But there was no way I was going to let him continue to do what he was doing to you."

I didn't respond to what he had told me. Secretly, I was relieved that he had saved me from Klaus' hands, and I was grateful to him for doing so, but when I felt the bitter hole in my heart, I realized that I had hoped my friends would come to save me. I wasn't sure how to react towards Kol; I still wanted to hate him, to be angry at him. _For what?_ I snapped at myself and rested my chin on my knees, _Everything that you thought was Kol's doing was wrong. It was all Klaus – he's the one you should hate! _I knew that if I knocked down the walls I had built up around myself and let him back into my heart like I had done before, I was opening myself up to more heartbreak and disappointment. Who's to say that he won't abandon me for real this time?

Before I knew it, I was opening my mouth. "Thank you," I blurted out and almost slapped my hand to my mouth. I didn't though, because I think I really meant it. However, my gratitude did sound like I was thanking him for more than just saving me…perhaps I was actually thanking him for caring in the first place. _Idiot, Kol Mikaelson doesn't care about anyone else's ass but his own!_ My eyes shifted to study his face when I noticed he was staring at me and I caught the tail end of the look on his face. His facial muscles were tense with surprise, and there seemed to be a battle going on within the depths of his eyes, like he was trying to determine the foundation of my gratitude. But above all else, there was a softness around his eyes, which was something I hadn't seen on him since I was human. I offered a half smile and then crossed my arms on top of my knees to rest my head against them, and not once did I shift my gaze away from his.

The fingers of my right hand were submerged in the water as he leaned closer to me, the battle within his eyes long gone, but now replaced with his typical mischievous glint. "Olivia Knight is actually _thanking_ me for something," he mused and I narrowed my eyes at him, "Perhaps I should get this in writing – I don't think there'll be another moment like this in history." I snorted and splashed him with water. He jumped back, his hand lifting the collar of his shirt to wipe the water from his face and I laughed.

"Just take the 'thank you' and shut up." I was surprised at myself for acting in this way, like a little schoolgirl who was giddy in love.

_In love…?_

He lifted his hands in mock surrender and then leaned back in towards me, the humour was gone from his expression and instead, a serious expression set his features in stone. I wanted to laugh, because the look didn't suit him.

"What did my brother want?" Now I could see why he had become so serious and my face went blank as I thought back to the hell I had endured while being confined to the Mikaelson Mansion.

Lifting my head up, I stared at the taps near the opposite end of the tub and spoke as if in a trance. "He wanted me to tell him what I was, he wanted to know why and how I was able to snap his neck without even touching him."

"Do you have these answers?" Kol inquired and I twitched slightly at the level of curiosity in his tone, it just didn't fit with what was happening.

I twisted around to look at him again and nodded, "I do. But I refused to tell him."

Kol rubbed his face with his hands in frustration, an aggravated sigh escaping his lips. "You refused to tell him?" he demanded incredulously, "You realize that if it weren't for me saving you, you would still be trussed up in those chains and suspended from that ceiling? You realize that he wasn't going to stop until you gave in?"

I nodded once and he reached out to grab the hand I had used to splash him with water, his fingers slid over my slippery skin and I closed my eyes at the touch. For once, I wasn't fighting what I really wanted to feel and I sighed as his fingers massaged my palm, "Sooner or later, Olivia, he was going to break you. It's what Klaus does; it's what he's _good_ at."

His face was so close to mine and I was shocked that I was only realizing this now. Our noses were inches away from each other and I could pick out the specks of gold within his brown eyes. "I know," I said simply, "But I learned a long time ago that the monster can't always win." Kol's eyes flicked back and forth between my eyes and then to my lips and back to my eyes and I smiled while allowing my fingers to close around his, "Besides, he can't break something that's already broken."

I saw the pain fill his eyes and then he looked away from me. His hand still held mine as he spoke, his eyes focusing on my knees, "Maybe we should fix that." I stared at him with wide eyes as he slowly circled his head around to face me and my shoulders stiffened when he leaned in closer to me. My eyes darted back and forth between his eyes and his lips but I was frozen in place until his lips hovered just over mine, the hand that I wasn't holding reached up and the backs of his fingers brushed my cheek and then he moved the drying strands of hair behind my ear. My breath came out in shallow puffs and I was torn between separating myself and remaining still; the part that wanted to stay was desperate to remember what his lips felt like. I lifted my chin up to meet his lips and they ghosted over mine, I could feel my heart slamming into my chest, I could feel the heat rising up my body…but then everything disappeared before me.

For the second time, my eyes opened and I lifted my head up only to realize I was back in hell. _No, you never left_, I whispered to myself and then focused on Klaus' face. He wore an overly pleasant smile as he stood before me and I let my body go limp with defeat, the metal teeth of the bear traps biting harshly into the tissues of my wrist, the pain throwing me back into reality. Klaus circled me and when he faced me again, he was so close I could feel his breath against my quivering chest. His hand came up to cup my collar bone and then he ran it along my shoulder, his other hand coming up to brush my cheek. I closed my eyes painfully, because not that long ago, I had imagined Kol doing the same thing.

_Not Kol, _Klaus…

"It's amazing what I can recreate when I have access to your memories," he drawled and I bit down on my lip while pulling away from his touch. I felt violated, more so than when Klaus had ripped my shirt off, more so than when he had used my body as a knife sharpener, and even more so than when he had used the sponge to wipe me down. He had accessed my deepest thoughts, my darkest memories and above all else, he had accessed all the feelings I had locked away for decades and he brought them all to the surface again.

"It's even more fascinating what the memories and emotions of a person can reveal about them. _Yours_ were quite insightful."

I refused to look at him and he sighed, "From what I can tell," he purred while his fingers toyed with the ends of my hair, "You are still deeply in love with my Brother, but you're so afraid to get hurt that you keep pushing him away." Klaus caught my eyes and I couldn't look away. "You should know this about Kol by now, Olivia. The more of a challenge you pose to him, the harder he tries to _overcome you_."

I glared at him as he slowly backed away from me and then exited the room. Of all the torture that Klaus had forced me through, it was the aftermath of this hallucination that made me feel the worst. I even caught myself considering telling him everything he wanted to know, but my stubbornness thwarted that flash of weakness in seconds.

~O~

There was a knock at the door and Elena looked up from her spot in the kitchen, surrounded by the usual suspects. She cast a curious look around, having been cut off in mid-sentence, and tentatively went to the front door. Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt and Tyler were all circled around the kitchen and Damon followed her into the hallway to see for himself who was at the door. Elena reached out and turned the knob before opening the door to reveal Elijah standing on the doorstep. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a slight serious manner, but there was a softness around his eyes that only Elijah could pull off.

"Elena," he greeted, her name slipping off his tongue in the most delicate manner. He then glanced behind her and nodded towards Damon, despite his less than pleased expression to have an Original standing on Elena's doorstep.

"Elijah," Elena replied, her eyebrows coming together slightly, "I didn't know you were back in town."

Elijah pulled his hand from his pocket and then looked to the side, down the street. "I'm only here for a brief amount of time. May I come in?"

From behind Elena, Damon took a furious step forward, his adamant refusal against allowing Elijah inside was clear on his face. However, regardless if they gave him permission or not, he could enter as he had already been 'invited in' once before. Despite Damon's interjection Elena stepped aside and raised an arm to welcome him in. He strode past Damon and into the kitchen and when he was out of sight Damon shot Elena an incredulous look, clearly trying to remind her of his threats against her life. Elena shrugged and then she too walked past Damon, none of her friends knew about the apologetic letter Elijah had left her, which was the only reason she had allowed him into her home.

"Is there something you needed, Elijah?" Elena inquired as she entered the kitchen, Jeremy had stiffened when the Original walked into the room and was now watching him like a hawk.

"Actually, I didn't come here for you. I'm looking for Olivia."

Everyone except Elijah bristled at Olivia's name and Elena caught Caroline's eye, "Why would you be looking for her here?"

Elijah didn't miss anything; there was discomfort in the room, as well as a swell of concern which he assumed was for their friend. "She didn't answer when I called upon her at her home. I figured she would be with one of you – but since you're all here…" he trailed off.

"We can't find her either," Caroline admitted softly and Elijah turned to face her in confusion. Caroline pushed a piece of paper towards the Original and he pulled it closer, glancing it over quickly as Caroline explained, "She said she would call us when she could. Every time she's gone to New York she's called within a day of being there – but it's been three and we haven't heard a thing."

Tyler shifted closer to Caroline and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Elijah sighed heavily before pushing the letter back to the middle of the counter. Bonnie stepped forward, "I was going to perform a locator spell."

"I don't know if you'll need to do that," he said slowly, "Do you have another sample of her writing?"

There was a pause while everyone thought of where to find another piece when Elena spoke out, "I do. I have one of her journals upstairs," She affirmed and Stefan raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to blush, "She left it here one day. I keep forgetting to return it," she added in as an afterthought and then disappeared to her room.

"Do you think it was forged?" Jeremy asked, his arms crossing over his chest and Elijah peered at him out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious to Elijah that the younger Gilbert was worried about Olivia, despite how hard he tried to hide it.

Elena returned and passed the emerald green book into the Original's hands and he opened it to the middle while dragging the letter closer to him. It didn't take him long to compare and he snapped the journal shut, the words of her poetry passing through his mind like a catchy melody. "This is not her writing," he confirmed. "The slant is off and the way the g's curl under is not consistent with her g's in the journal."

Elijah looked up at them all with a bitter look and he threw the book down onto the counter, the sound of its contact was loud and it echoed through the room. "This is Niklaus' writing," he pointed out as his finger tapped against the sheet of paper, "Which means that Olivia is with him, and has been all this time."

There was a bristle of movement as everyone reacted but the only one who spoke was Damon, "We need to go get her." Everyone stared at him in surprise, but they were all unaware of how Damon was feeling at the moment. He realized the minute Elijah proposed the possibility that the letter had been forged that Klaus was probably behind this and that it was his fault; it was more than just obvious to him that Olivia had been taken after he told her to leave – and he felt incredibly guilty for it.

Elena nodded and glanced at Damon just as Jeremy stepped forward with a determined look on his face. "He's right," Elena agreed, taking Damon's side, "She'd be the first one to help any of us if our positions were switched –"

"I would advise not getting involved," Elijah interrupted softly and everyone turned to face him. "Olivia has something that my Brother wants, and he's not going to stop whatever it is that he's doing until she gives it. All of you, on the other hand, have nothing to bargain with for her safety – you have no leverage. I understand that you feel an obligation to go save your friend, but leave that to me. I will deal with Niklaus on my own and I will get Olivia away from him. This I can promise you."

Elena began to protest but Elijah held up his hand to stop her. "I'm not giving you a choice here, Elena," he said firmly, "I owe this to your friend, and I owe it to you after the way I acted the last time I was in town." Before any of them could reply, Elijah was gone.

It took mere seconds for Elijah to appear below the steps that led into his family's mansion. It was quiet outside; from what Elijah could tell there was no sound coming from within, either, causing the eldest Original Brother to wonder if anyone was, in fact, home. Elijah shoved open the front doors and stood in the middle of the foyer with his hands in his pockets causing his suit jacket to bunch up slightly at the waist. He looked around with his head tilted slightly to the side as he listened for any form of movement within the house. When there was none to be heard he wandered into the informal sitting room hoping to find someone there, and he did, but not in the way he imagined.

"Rebekah!" He gasped and rushed to his sister's side. She was lying in the middle of the room on top of a shattered glass coffee table, and the closer Elijah got to his sister's side the stronger the scent of blood became. That was when he noticed shards of glass were stuck into her arms and that small pools of blood had stained the carpet. He reached out to grasp her by the shoulder and shook her; she didn't stir, so he rolled her onto her back. She was merely unconscious, to Elijah's relief, and his thumb wiped the trickle of blood away from the corner of her mouth his hand then resting on her cheek.

"Ah, I see you've found our meddlesome little sister," Klaus spoke softly from the entrance, while his body leaned against the frame, his arms crossed casually over his chest.

Elijah stood quickly and whirled around to move into a defensive position in front of his sister, the fury on his face undeniable. "What have you done, Niklaus? What has she done to you _this time_?" Elijah knew that Klaus was entirely to blame as it was highly unlikely that Rebekah did anything substantial enough to warrant such a reaction from his brother; Klaus was just quick to anger.

Klaus shrugged off of the doorframe and strolled down the steps into the room and he peered down at his sister's unconscious form, "She tried to interfere with my plans and I just couldn't have that," he drawled as a disinterested look crossed his face.

"Plans? What _plans_?" Elijah hissed as he took a threatening step towards his younger brother, but Klaus only smiled in amusement and then backed away.

Klaus absentmindedly nudged over a large shard of glass with his foot and clucked his tongue disapprovingly, "That table was expensive…" Elijah then launched himself at his brother and slammed Klaus against the wall with a hand to his throat, his other hand knotting into the collar of Klaus' thermal shirt. Elijah's face had contorted into a vicious snarl, the veins around his eyes going black but Klaus only laughed. It was then that the front door opened again and then closed with a slam while carefree footsteps strolled into the room. Elijah and Klaus both looked towards the entrance to the room to find Kol standing there, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Why is it that every time there's a family reunion, something is always broken and you two are at each other's throats?"

Elijah huffed and dragged his eyes back to Klaus who gave him an expectant look. Elijah then let go and shoved Klaus firmly against the wall just as Rebekah stirred on the floor and then pulled herself into a sitting position. Elijah was kneeling beside her with concern etched onto his face and he gently placed a hand on her back for support, she groaned and looked at him blearily and then looked over at Kol who had his eyebrows raised.

"Elijah? When did you get—," Rebekah's eyes widened and she grabbed onto the lapels of Elijah's suit jacket, "You need to help her, we need to get her _out of here_."

Elijah pulled his sister's hands away from his jacket and held them tightly while talking gently to her, trying to calm her down, "I already know what he's done." He helped her up and sat her down on the couch while he waited for an answer, but she only groaned and pressed her palms to her forehead.

"K-Klaus, he's got…" Rebekah tried, again, to explain to Elijah what happened but she was still slightly delirious.

Both Elijah and Kol turned to Klaus expectantly, however, they both had entirely different reasons. Elijah wanted to know _why_ Klaus was tormenting Olivia, but Kol was merely curious as to what was going on, period. Klaus shrugged lazily and walked out of the room, "If the two of you will join me, you'll have an explanation soon enough." When he looked behind him there was a devious glint in his eyes that caused Elijah and Kol to look at each other. Kol opened his mouth to demand an answer from his brother but Klaus had already disappeared and they had no choice but to follow. Elijah left first and after a glance towards his younger sister, Kol followed behind. Klaus led them down a series of back hallways before pulling out a key from the pocket of his jeans. Neither Elijah nor Kol had noticed the smell when they first came in, but after following their brother to this room, the smell of blood had grown increasingly strong and there was something about the scent that sent Kol's teeth on edge because he recognized the sweet undertones. Klaus opened the door and led them through, the scent strengthening within seconds and he casually positioned himself between his brothers and his prisoner while hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.

I had heard the door open but I couldn't be bothered to look up, despite the fact that I could sense the presence of two other people in the room. After Rebekah's failed attempt to save me, I was beginning to realize that there was no way in hell Klaus was going to let me go unless I gave him what he wanted. I couldn't say for sure just how much longer I would be able to keep my secrets to myself because every time Klaus came into the room, he managed to peel back more and more layers of my determination. I could feel him watching me but I kept still, hoping that he would think I'm still unconscious but I didn't keep still for long when I caught the scent of who was in the room.

"Olivia!"

My head shot up and I looked passed Klaus who had a satisfied smirk on his face. Elijah and Kol stood behind him and it was Kol who had shouted out to me. I shut my eyes tightly and my jaw clenched willing everything to just go away; it was humiliating enough for Klaus to see me half naked, I didn't want Kol or Elijah to see me, too.

"What the hell have you done to her, Niklaus?" Elijah growled and Kol shot forward to stand before me. He reached a hand out and placed it on my side causing me to whimper pitifully as I couldn't bear to be touched. I felt the burn of his gaze as he devoured the sight of my body stained with the gruesome shades of dried blood. I refused to look at him but, somehow, I could feel the anger radiating off of him and then he launching himself at Klaus, sending them both stumbling to the side. Klaus was thrown against the wall by Kol and, before the youngest brother could take another step, Klaus grabbed the knife that he used on me and flew at Kol. They grappled for the blade for a period of time before Klaus threw Kol off and rammed the knife home, straight into the center of Kol's stomach. He grunted and fell to his knees as blood poured out from around the wound and he gripped the knife's handle and ripped it out with a gut wrenching cry of pain and fury. I jerked violently against the large metal teeth that clamped around my wrists at the sound of Kol's cry. Fresh blood oozed down my arms; my breaths coming out harshly as tears rolled down my face. I knew what that bastard was doing, I knew why he had called Kol back to Mystic Falls; he was planning on using him as leverage against me in hopes of using his new found knowledge about my feelings for Kol to his advantage. Klaus stood back with a sick smile on his face, he was breathing heavily as he stood between me and his brothers, daring each of them to challenge him for a second time.

When neither of them made another move, he moved to walk around me with a possessive air, his hand coming up to caress my bare collar bone. "My dear friend, Olivia here, has some information for me." He gloated and I wrenched myself as far away from him as possible, forcing a cry of pain from my throat. Klaus laughed and then lifted his hand as if to present his next point, "However, she's been extraordinarily stubborn about revealing it, and so I've spent the past three days trying to _persuade _her." Klaus glanced towards the door as Rebekah slipped inside and he smiled before gesturing to the blonde, "Ah, I see you're feeling better, Rebekah!"

A darkness filled her eyes as she came to stand beside Elijah while at the same time, Kol got to his feet and kicked the bloody knife to the other end of the room, as far from Klaus as possible. "There are three of us, and one of you, Nik," Rebekah snarled as the black veins around her eyes exposed themselves. "Do you really think that we'll just stand by idly as you torture her? If she hasn't told you anything by now, what makes you so sure she'll do so at all?"

Klaus' lip twitched dangerously and he took a threatening step towards her, "Keep in mind _little sister_, that I did not interfere when you were torturing Damon Salvatore. _Do not interfere with me_," he snarled loudly and then began to pace between my suspended form and his three Original siblings like a lion would when protecting his territory, "I will get what I want from her, at whatever means _I _deem fit, and until then she remains there," he pointed behind him at the chains that I was confined to and I glowered darkly at the back of his head.

"Are you _fucking_ deaf?" I snarled, my chapped lips contorting into a grimace, "What part of "_I'm not telling you a fucking thing_" don't you understand? There is _nothing_ you can say or do that will make me reveal anything to you! You'll have to kill me."

Klaus didn't turn around but I caught the small quirk to Rebekah's lips as she reacted to my retort but then Elijah's changed into horror and before I knew it I was staring into the snarling maw of Klaus' werewolf face. His eyes were a nightmarish yellow and his teeth glinted under the light of the room as he lunged for me. His hand came up and knotted into the crown of my hair to wrench my head to the side, exposing the tender flesh of my throat. I twisted violently to the side, attempting to break his hold but to no avail. It happened so fast and the next thing I knew his fangs were plunging into my throat and I was screaming a horribly mangled cry, the tears pouring down my face as I felt the muscles being torn apart by Klaus. He then released my throat and held my gaze firmly with his haunting yellow eyes.

At my defeated look he patted my cheek roughly, "Thank you for the idea, Miss Knight. I might just have to kill you, but you'll suffer first." He smiled slightly as he gripped my chin, "Here's the deal, you tell me what I want to know, and I'll give you the cure. Decide quickly though, love, a Hybrid's bite is more potent than just a regular werewolf's."

He then gave me a shove and I swung back and forth, the bear traps ripping through my flesh. I had never, truly, been afraid of death before, but now that it was inches away from me – I was terrified.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone! I just wanted to give my thanks to those who have favorited and followed, and I would love to give a special thanks to the wonderful few who took the time to send me a review. You have no idea how much that means to me, in fact, with each review, a massive dopey smile explodes all over my face and I do a little dance - even if it's on the bus... in public. Please, please continue to favorite and follow, as well as REVIEW - they make my day. Love to all! **


	14. You Saved Me

**WARNING: This chapter contains mature themes, if non-consensual sex makes you uncomfortable please skip down to the third last paragraph before the ~O~ and start reading there. **

My mind flashed in and out of reality like a flickering light bulb. Images from my past would take the place of the room I was in so quickly that there were times when I could barely figure out whether I was with the Mikaelsons or trapped in my internal hell. The method that I developed in order to make this distinction was based on the excruciating pain I felt as the werewolf venom tainted every cell in my body with its poison; it felt like liquid fire coursing through my arteries. There were times where the pain was sharp and unbearable to the point where it left me a quivering mess, and there were other times where the pain just throbbed on–it was noticeable, but bearable. When the throbbing came, that was usually when my mind started to play tricks on me. My vision suddenly went out of focus and everything the light touched gave off a bright glare that stung my eyes. They squeezed shut, as tears leaked out, and then a harsh shock of pain rolled through my body forcing it into uncontrollable convulsions as it hung from the ceiling. Every muscle in my body twitched simultaneously and I could do nothing but lean my head back and let it fall, the jugular of my throat exposed to the ceiling. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I tried to desperately suck in air, but I only gasped and spluttered like a fish might do when it was out of water.

Large ominous oil lamps slid across my vision, and then the ceiling flickered in and out of darkness a few times. Finally, my vision settled on the lamps. I was walking in a rush down a cobblestoned path; there was fear gnawing at my stomach and I knew it was because I wasn't supposed to be out so late. My guardians didn't even know that I wasn't in my room, much less off the property, and I hadn't intended to stay out so late. It had been a long time since I had an opportunity to go watch the horses over at the McAllister Ranch and I had never been one to pass up on opportunity. It was well past midnight, meaning I was going against the curfew my guardians had set for me, as well as the curfew the town had set for young women. The town was very strict about women wandering the streets without a chaperone after eight o'clock at night. I picked up the long skirts of my blue dress and trotted down the road at a faster pace and then turned the corner down a slightly darker alley. It was a split-second decision to do so; not only was it much faster than the normal path I took home, but it was also a little more dangerous because I had to pass the street where the pubs were typically spilling out onto the streets. I was always careful about passing this street as there was always someone around willing to snitch on a person who was breaking the rules.

I paused behind a wall and peeked around it at all the men scattered about the cobblestone road; there were young men about my age and there were older men like my father. Quickly, I scampered to the other side, my shadow casting a long, ominous shape over the crowd where its edges stretched out like beckoning fingers. I pressed my back against the wall on the opposite side of the street to check if anyone had taken notice, and then I continued on my way. I slid across the wall and then down the next alley, sticking close to the shadows. I came close to the other end of the alley and looked around the corner again, thinking that no one was paying attention so I darted across the road. Just as the shadows of the opposite alley began to swallow me, I felt a large, calloused hand wrap tightly around my wrist and I was tugged backwards, my feet stumbling awkwardly underneath my skirt.

"Well, lookee what I found, gentlemen!" An overly happy voice called out into the night and I glanced upwards into the face of the man whose chest I had just slammed into. He didn't look all that much older than I, but facial hair could be very deceiving.

"She's just a little one!" Another voice replied and I dragged my widened eyes over the man's shoulder to watch two of his friends emerge from the shadows.

I tugged at my arm, throwing all of my body weight away from the man who held my wrist in his hand, but he held on tighter and his other hand gripped the bicep of my other arm, "Shhh, shhh, little one," He purred and I wrinkled my nose when his breath hit my face. It smelled of hard liquor with sour undertones of what I could only imagine to be vomit. "I'm not gonna hurt you," the hand at my bicep smoothed upwards and over my shoulder and then his fingers brushed against my cheek. I jerked away violently, almost bringing the off-balanced man with me, and he growled darkly before dragging me down the alley that I had been headed for. He tossed me into the wall and I felt my bare arms scrape against the rough textures of the bricks. His hands then gripped my shoulders again as he dragged me upwards and shoved me against the wall, his body pressing against mine to pin me. I managed to get my arms between our bodies and I shoved against his chest, my hands curling into fists as I hammered against his arms, shoulders, and stomach.

"Get off of me!" I cried out in desperation, my hand slapping his face and then pushing it as far away from me as possible. His fist came up and smashed into my jaw, causing my body to slump to the side as my jaw bone throbbed uncomfortably, and then his hand curled around my chin, dragging my face back to look at him. He had a predatory look in his eyes and I grabbed at his wrists, making sure to drag my nails down the tender flesh. He hissed and shoved my head against the bricks; there was a loud crack as my skull connected and stars burst across my eyes. I whimpered and tried to escape from his hands but he pressed his pelvis against mine, his knee shoving between my legs.

From the corner of my eye I watched his friends wander into the alley and I swallowed hard at their leering faces. One of them sat on the ledge across from us and the other leaned up against the wall beside me. He gave me a sickening smile and my lips curled slightly in disgust when I saw he was missing a tooth. "She's a feisty one, isn't she?" He whispered lovingly, his hand brushing through my hair and I shut my eyes in humiliation over what was happening. _I knew walking this way was going to be a horrible idea_…

"What are we going to do with her?" The man whose hand was stroking my hair purred and my lip began to quiver in response.

"Whatever you do plan on doing with her, you'll just have to shut her up afterwards."

I froze, my breath catching in my throat, and stared in horror at the third man who sat on the ledge across from us. He seemed disinterested in what was going on, as if attacking some unsuspecting girl was an everyday occurrence with his friends. I was terrified, to say the least, as I wasn't completely sure what they meant by having to shut me up. _Don't be a fool, Liv,_ I snarled internally as a bout of nausea curled upwards when I felt the first man's hands cup the tender flesh of my chest over the bosom of my dress. _Did you honestly believe they would just let you _go_ afterwards_? I turned my head away from the man as his clumsy and overly moist lips found my neck; he bit and sucked greedily at my tender flesh and then he moved onto my jaw line, his rough stubble scraping against my pale skin. I thought briefly of my father, and how he used to tickle me and my sister with his day-old stubble and tears sprung to my eyes at the memory. _Papa, please help me… _I thought miserably and then the first man's lips were crushing mine, his hands lifting my skirts and I felt the hands of the other man roughly grabbing at the neckline of my dress and ripping it down to bare my naked flesh. _Papa!_ I screamed in my head as I protested violently against my two assailants. In the background, their friend laughed coldly at my whimpers.

There was an unexpected surge of anger within the center of my stomach and it latched its claws deep into the walls of my internal organs. Slowly, it began to climb, dragging itself through the tight crevice that was my esophagus and rearing its ugly head when I bit down hard upon the snake-like tongue that had invaded my mouth. The first man reared back with a savage cry of pain, blood coating his mouth, and I shoved him with all my might, knocking him back a few steps. The second man reached out to grab me by the shoulder, but I twisted from his reach and kicked out blindly, connecting with what I hoped was his knee. I didn't stop to look though; I just ran as fast as I could down the alley in these _goddamned shoes_. I made it about ten or so feet when a fist roped into my hair and pulled me back viciously, causing a hair-rising scream to erupt from my mouth. A calloused hand clamped over my lips and then my forehead was knocked into the wall. I fell to the floor as blood poured from the freshly opened gash and, before I could gather my wits, a heavy foot sunk into my stomach. I grunted and curled into a ball while more swift kicks were delivered to my back, head, legs and stomach and it seemed like an eternity before they stopped. I was then moved abruptly onto my back and a pair of hands were pushing the skirts of my dress up to my hips. Realizing what they were trying to do, I began to buck my hips in a furious attempt to shake them off, my desperate cries cutting through the night, but the man above me was much too strong and he quickly pinned my hips down with his.

Out of nowhere, he pulled out a knife and held it to my throat and the cold blade cut into my flesh. There was a thin, sharp pain and then my voice died in my throat while the man above me grinned wickedly. "If you make another sound, I'll slit your throat," He growled lowly and I whimpered pitifully, squirming under his weight. The man dragged the knife lightly down my chest, moving at an agonizingly slow pace and, before I realized it, he was slicing my dress open down the middle and ripping it off to the side. I forgot about the knife and his threat and I struggled angrily against him. Somehow, I managed to knock the knife out of his hand and I nearly threw him off of me, but his hand came down onto my throat and he pinned me to the cobble stones again. I gasped out as I felt my windpipe being crushed and he loomed dangerously over me, his hand grappling around for the knife. As he grabbed it, I heard the chilling sound of metal on stone and I struggled hard underneath the weight of his body.

"Hold her hands," he snapped at his friend and my arms were wrenched over my head. Slowly, but determinedly, the man's hand slipped under my skirts and I felt him pull aggressively on the waistband of my undergarment while I desperately tried to keep my legs locked, but he separated them with ease.

"P-please, please d-don't do this," I pleaded desperately as the naked flesh of my breasts heaved in the moonlight. I heard him fiddle with the buttons of his trousers and I tried once again to fight him off of me, but they were just as futile as before. I couldn't stop this no matter how hard I tried and it wasn't before long that the man above me ripped away everything that a girl my age held onto the tightest. I was horrified and disgusted as I felt this brute move against me, and I couldn't do _a thing_ to stop him from invading every personal boundary there was to invade. The humiliation lasted for what felt like hours and when he finally finished, the tears began to fall mercilessly down my cheeks; I couldn't look at anything except for the empty night sky and I think I would have smiled at how its emptiness mirrored what I felt now, but I didn't even have the strength to do so.

For the second time that night, I felt him press the knife tightly to my throat, drawing more blood and he leaned in close, his lips twisted into a sneer. "Just making sure that you won't open your mouth in the future," he hissed and then I felt the tip of the blade pierce the flesh just under the hollow of my throat and then a long pinching pain exploded all across my chest and down to my hips. I screamed out in pain and started to thrash, my muscles quivering under the stress of the blade. I could feel my heart pound, and I knew that with each heartbeat, more blood would flow. My screams turned into chokes and gurgles as I lay there in a pool of my own blood and prayed for death. I was so busy with my prayers that I hadn't noticed that, one by one, my attackers disappeared and then landed in a crumpled heap at the opposite end of the alley. My vision was starting to fade and I could swear that I was no longer attached to my body, but somehow, I was aware of gentle arms hoisting me up and then something firm and wet was pressed against my lips…

My eyes shot open and cool air exploded into my lungs. I let out a terrible, heart wrenching scream and thrashed violently from side to side. The tender flesh of my wrists was once again ripped open as the blade had done so to my torso. Firm hands held me by the waist so I couldn't damage myself any further and then a wave of white hot agony washed over me from head to toe while I moaned loudly, my teeth gritting against each other. I clenched my hands into fists and I bitterly welcomed the sensation of metal grating against my bone. It hurt, yes, but it was familiar and so it provided a sick and twisted form of comfort. Arms were wrapped around my back to support me as they pressed me closer to them; I knew it was an attempt at comfort but all I could feel was that monster's hands on my flesh. I had no strength to fight them off so I remained still, while my skin crawled at the haunting memory of my attack.

Eventually, I managed to drag my face up to stare into the face of the person holding me but, through my exhaustion, all I could comprehend were a pair of warm brown eyes. Subconsciously, I knew who it was but I couldn't quite get the acknowledgement out.

"You…saved…me," I managed to get out before losing consciousness.

~O~

After Olivia passed out, Kol left the room quietly, a burning anger settling in his heart. He glowered at the marble floor as he stalked back to the informal living room, his thoughts getting the best of him. She was getting progressively worse, and now, the sweats were starting and Kol didn't know what to do. He should just grab her and run. To hell with Niklaus and his sadistic power fantasies; to hell with his _entire family_. Kol gritted his teeth and stepped into the room where his other siblings were. He didn't look at any of them because he didn't want to give away how much of at a loss he really was. He knew there was absolutely no chance of Olivia's survival if he ran off with her, but he couldn't just stand back and _watch_ as Klaus took away everything he ever cared about…_ again_.

_She is mine_, he silently snarled at Klaus, _Not yours!_

Kol could feel the attentions of his siblings turn to him and his lip twitched because he knew that if anyone spoke he'd go off on them.

"Did she say anything?"

Kol bit his tongue to keep from snapping and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he turned away from his brother while swallowing back the bitterness he felt. He should be turning his back on his brother to save Olivia, not because he couldn't bare the sight of his monstrous sibling. "No," Kol replied sharply and made a move to go to the fireplace that was off to the side, but Klaus cut him off.

"You had better not be lying to me, _little_ brother," Klaus hissed while placing obvious emphasis on the 'little'. It was clear to Kol that Klaus was trying to assert his dominance, but the attempt only made Kol want to laugh at his brother. Klaus was always trying to make himself appear bigger than he actually was.

"Allow me to correct myself, _brother_," Kol snapped back and became mildly surprised when Klaus flinched ever so slightly at the venom in his use of 'brother'. "She said nothing that would concern _you_." Kol then brushed past Klaus, making sure to knock into his shoulder hard enough to jostle Klaus to the side.

"But she spoke?" Rebekah gasped while getting to her feet and Elijah held a hand out to stop her from getting too excited.

Elijah took a step closer and spoke gently, "What did she say, Kol?"

Kol glanced up at his eldest brother as a lock of hair fell into his eyes and then he flashed over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of bourbon. He downed the first glass quickly and then poured a second, before putting the bottle away; through a throat that still burned with the alcohol, Kol spoke, "I know you mean well, Elijah, but mind your own business."

Klaus gave a short laugh and Kol turned around slowly to look at him. "Did she hit a nerve, Kol?" Klaus mocked and Kol quickly drank his second glass of bourbon, relishing in the burn as it cut through his anger. In a flash, Kol launched the glass at Klaus' head, barely leaving his brother time to dodge the flying object, before he had his hands wrapped around Klaus' throat. The two brothers landed on the floor with Kol on top and his fist reared back and then slammed into Klaus' face repeatedly. Klaus then flipped them over, gaining the upper hand, and he gripped the front of Kol's shirt before slamming his head and upper back onto the cold, hard, marble floor. Kol dug his feet into the soft flesh of Klaus' stomach and kicked outwards, his brother's body flipping overhead and landing across the room, the sudden contact with the wall causing one of the framed paintings to crash onto the floor. Kol jumped to his feet and into a dangerous crouch, his eyes bled over and a challenging snarl split his face causing Klaus to tear across the room. With a harsh shove, Kol smashed into the wall and Klaus wrapped a hand around his throat, and then Kol flung him to the side and pinned him against the front of the fireplace.

"I really don't care about the information you want from her," Kol snarled as he smashed his brother's head into the stones. "If you don't cure her right now, I'll take it from you and give it to her myself," Kol threatened as he began to guide Klaus' arm into the fire. The bright flames licked hungrily at Klaus' arm and the scent of burning flesh filled the room. In a fit of fury, Klaus threw his younger brother off of him and Kol went flying across the room, which gave Klaus time to straighten up and brush himself off. Kol got to his feet, and grabbed a letter opener from the drawer of one of side tables and inched closer, preparing to attack Klaus, but Elijah stepped between them.

"That's enough."

Klaus had an undeniable smug look on his face and Kol stared at Elijah with an expression tied between incredulity and fury. "You're defending him?!" Kol roared and took a menacing step forward, but Elijah did not move an inch; he wouldn't even consider the knife in his youngest brother's hands.

"Olivia has werewolf venom coursing through her veins. In any other case, we'd have more time to figure this out, _as a family_, but time is not on our side," Elijah reasoned, his hands coming up to ward off his brother. "Even if these torturous acts have gone far enough," Elijah growled and shot a dangerous look at Klaus.

"She has something I want and I –"

Elijah turned on Klaus with a darkness in his eyes, "She has information, we get it, Niklaus," he snapped and then lifted his arm in question, "And if she dies, what then?"

Klaus looked as if he didn't really want to think this far, but then he turned his gaze on Kol and sneered, "If she dies, it won't be _my_ loss."

A howl of anger ripped from Kol's mouth and he advanced on Klaus again only to have Elijah wrap an arm around his chest and throw him back. "Then everything you have done to her up until now will have been in vain, and since when have you ever done something without it being a means to an end?" Elijah inquired darkly, the chill in his tone so harsh it could freeze hell.

Klaus' lip curled in disgust at the thought of losing out on the best possible lead he had had in decades and then he spat, "Then I suggest you start trying to convince your _conquest_ to fess up; I dare say she has but a few hours left." At this moment in time, Olivia let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed throughout the mansion to drive Klaus' point home.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Happy Valentine's Day everyone, or to those who are applicable - HAPPY SINGLE'S AWARENESS DAY! I'm feeling a little generous today so I thought I would post a day or so early. I would just like to give a major thanks to everyone who has favorited and followed this story, and I would like to thank "The Mystery is in the Words" for your review - it truly means a lot to me. **


	15. No Reason to Live

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, so I PROMISE from the absolute bottom of my heart that this is the last torture chapter. Think of these scenes as more of windows into Olivia's past - insight as to the kind of pain she has had to endure during her existence. I know many of you are most likely sick of reading this, and trust me, I got pretty sick of writing it - but the light is near, and you will get some answers - as will Klaus. Thank you to all who have favorited, followed and above all else, REVIEWED! Please continue to do so, it makes me very happy. Much love!**

I didn't bother to acknowledge the new presence in the room; I was too exhausted from the most recent shockwave of pain to even open my eyes, much less lift my head to give them my attention. I heard the slow footsteps come closer to my suspended body and then I heard the curious sound of a sharp object puncturing another. I tried to peel my eyes open, but my body seemed to be working against me. G_ood to know my curiosity is still intact_, I thought dryly to myself, and then a gentle hand cupped under my chin and slowly lifted my head. A foreign object was pressed against my lips and then a thin piece of plastic was inside my mouth. I tried to pull away from the assault, but the hand under my chin kept my head in place.

"Drink, Olivia. You need to keep your strength for as long as possible."

I managed to crack an eye open and Rebekah's face swam into view. I could tell from her body language that she wasn't supposed to be here but the concern that was etched onto her face told me she didn't care at this point, as long as she was able to help, even if it was just a small favour. I brushed my tongue against the tube's underside and mumbled around it, "Bekah…wh-what are you—?"

She shushed me sharply and held up her arm to reveal the bag of blood in her hand, "You need to feed, Olivia, and I'm not about to bring in a live catch for you." I felt my lips turn up slightly in a partial smile but I couldn't really feel the humour in her remark. I began to suck on the tube and after a few seconds, the dark red blood flooded my mouth and I almost cried in relief as I felt my body react to it. I pulled harder at the blood, swallowing hungrily and relishing in how the red sustenance rejuvenated my exhausted and torn muscles, but above all else, it was the relief in my temporarily returned strength that had my body singing. I felt in control again, almost as if I could survive this werewolf bite. Almost.

When the blood ran dry, I pulled away with a gasp while my sluggish heartbeat exploded in my ears. Rebekah took a step back with a soft look on her face and I nodded in gratitude towards her, still too weak to actually speak to her. I didn't have to though, because the door opened for a second time and she wheeled around with wide eyes, the empty blood bag squeezed tightly in her fist. My heart leaped to my throat as Klaus casually strolled into the room, and although his body language was nothing but pleasant, there was a deep anger burning in his eyes, turning them almost black.

"Rebekah," he muttered quietly and I saw her shoulders pull back, her legs opening into a slight defensive stance. Klaus' eyes zeroed in on the empty bit of plastic in his sister's hand and his face stiffened with the realization of what she had done. "What the hell did I tell you?" He snarled while advancing on her and I had to admit that I was pretty impressed; she didn't move an inch, whereas I would have been on the other side of town by now.

"It's just a bit of blood, Niklaus," Rebekah snapped, "It's not going to interfere with your plans – _whatever they may be_."

He was before her in a flash and he had his hand wrapped around her throat. With a simple movement of his arm, he tossed her into the wall and I cringed at the sound of her head crashing into the drywall. The door flew open just seconds later and Elijah stalked inside, closely followed by Kol. Elijah seemed alarmed over the commotion but when I caught Kol's eye, he looked away, dejected. Klaus stood with his back to the door and he pointed threateningly at Rebekah before growling, "I warned you, _little sister_, not to go interfering with me."

"Has she not _suffered_ enough?" Rebekah demanded heatedly and she threw the empty bag onto the plastic sheet below me, "Are you actually trying to _kill _her? Because that's what will happen if you continue on like this, and you will lose out on everything that you had hoped to gain from her."

"Rebekah—"

"No, Elijah!" Rebekah snapped and then turned around to face Klaus, "For God's sake, Nik, just give her your blood and be done with all this!"

Klaus didn't answer but he looked back at me and I narrowed my eyes at him before looking away in anger, not being able to bare the sight of him any longer. I could feel the air change as he moved closer to me and I watched him from the corner of my eye, not trusting him enough to lose sight of him. He smiled thoughtfully while he studied my face and then he glanced down at the watch around his wrist before speaking, "No, I don't think I will. She's lasted this long, let's see how much further I can push her."

I blew a short breath out of my nose and rolled my eyes, "I wouldn't think any better of you, Klaus," I sighed sarcastically while rolling my eyes and he smirked in amusement before backing away from me slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.

It was then that I felt my stomach twist into a tight knot and I squeezed my eyes shut in agony. I groaned loudly and my body began to shudder uncontrollably, my hands gripped the chains as a wave of nausea bubbled up. I coughed harshly as the blood I had just ingested made a spectacular reappearance; it sprayed from my mouth, coating my lips and my cheeks with specks of gore, spilling down my chin and over my chest. I spluttered against the assaulting liquid, choking on its thickness, but my body just kept heaving; it seemed that there was more blood coming out than I had actually consumed.

"Tilt your head forward," Rebekah urged as her hands pulled back my hair. She held the stringy, blood caked strands in one hand while the other smoothed up and down my back. "Why the hell is she rejecting the blood?" She hissed as more blood sprayed from my mouth.

There was a brief period where the blood stopped coming up and Elijah inched closer to me, his footsteps cautious. "She's too far gone," he stated and turned to glance at Klaus, "The werewolf venom has taken over too many of her cells, her body will not accept blood – unless it contains the antidote."

Klaus smirked and a spark ignited in his eyes. The spark of a man close to getting what he wanted. "It won't be long now," he drawled and Elijah appeared before him, his eyes blackening. Elijah's hand curled into a fist and he punched Klaus once across the face, causing him to stumble to the side and, with a swift kick to the stomach, Klaus was thrown into the wall.

Straightening out his jacket, Elijah squared his shoulders and looked down at his brother, "You were always the one to push the envelope too far, Niklaus."

Klaus didn't get a chance to retaliate when I started to convulse again, no blood came this time but a familiar shockwave of pain rolled over my body and I whimpered, knowing that I was about to go under again.

"No, no, no…" I moaned as the room flickered in and out of focus. I heard Rebekah call my name but I couldn't respond, the floor was changing between the marble and concrete, the lighting flickered in and out of darkness. My back arched as another wave of pain came over me and my eyes rolled into the back of my head before I went unconscious again. A train whistle sounded close by and it jostled me to my senses, causing me to stand abruptly in the middle of the station. I looked around in confusion, remembering that I had just been in the Mikaelson mansion, and now, I was… _oh God no…_

I found myself sitting on the bench again with a bag on either side of my feet. The folds of my red dress puffed up around my knees and I tried to smooth them out for something to do while I waited. I surveyed the faces of the passers by seeking the features of the one who had captured my heart, but when the clock chimed nine times from within I began to worry. He was supposed to meet me here at half past eight and it was unlike him to keep me waiting. _He's not coming_, I whispered to myself and then shook my head furiously, the stray hairs surrounding my face whipping back and forth, _No. He _is_ coming; he promised that he would…_

I began to fiddle with the folds of my dress again as the anxiety settled deeper into my heart. I was so busy with my thoughts that I didn't notice the older gentleman approach me. I glanced up in fear when I saw his shiny shoes appear in my line of sight and he tipped his hat to me in greeting.

"Is there something wrong, Miss?" I gave him a confused look and cautiously moved my bags closer to me and he offered a hesitant smile, "You've been sitting here for hours now; a young lady like yourself shouldn't be out this late unaccompanied."

My hand went to my hair and I looked around, "No, no. I'm fine. I'm just waiting for someone."

"Well, alright Miss. But are you sure you wouldn't want to wait inside, where it's warmer?"

"No." I stated firmly, "I can't. I'm supposed to wait here."

The gentleman nodded in respect and took a step back, "Well, I hope your friend arrives soon because the next train is the last one this evening." I watched him disappear inside and I pulled the shawl tighter around my arms. The chill was awfully nippy tonight and I glanced up at the clock again, it was now quarter past nine and I bit my lip. There was twenty minutes until the last train of the evening and if he didn't show up, I suppose I could return in the morning and wait for a second night.

I stood up again and began to pace back and forth, not only to keep warm, but to also pass the time. As the minutes ticked by, more people accumulated on the platform to wait for the last train and each of them looked at me with curiosity, but I was too anxious to pay them any mind. Eventually, I just stood beside the bench with my arms crossed over my chest and watched the wind blow the trees on the other side of the tracks. I glanced at the clock, thinking the train was almost here, but only five minutes had gone by and I sighed in frustration while tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I turned on my heel to go sit on the bench again, but I froze in surprise.

Kol stood before me with a hand in the pocket of his dress pants, his other arm slack at his side. His charcoal suit jacket was open at the front to reveal a matching vest underneath and the waistline of the jacket bunched up around his bent arm. He wasn't smiling as he watched me and I nervously clasped my hands over my stomach.

"I didn't think you were going to show," I muttered and took a step forward. His stance did not change and I grew nervous under the intensity of his stare. It was cold and calculating, like a predator ready to pounce and this was not a feeling that I was familiar with – he had never been cold towards me before.

I studied him as his tongue ran over his teeth from beneath his lips and he pulled his hand out of his pocket. It was then that I noticed he had no bags with him. "I wasn't going to," he said after a time and I looked away, laughing a little at him. I hoped he was just playing with me, like he often did, but even after two years of knowing him, I still couldn't pick out when he was being serious or not.

"What do you mean by that?" I inquired while stepping closer to him. I was trying extremely hard not to show that the thought had already crossed my mind.

Kol didn't answer; he only continued to stare blankly at me. Obviously he knew that he didn't need to repeat himself – I had understood him perfectly. "I've decided not to go to New York, after all," he explained dryly and I glanced at the clock, taking note that the last train of the evening would be arriving in about ten minutes, and it was going to New York.

I sighed and pulled the shawl around my shoulders, my fingers fiddling with the edges. "Well, okay. But we'll have to come back tomorrow for another train…"

"Oh. I won't be around this time tomorrow." I paused and lifted my head to look at him in shock. He pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it in disinterest, "And I won't be taking you with me."

I sucked in a sharp breath as my hand flew to the neckline of my dress, "Kol, you said that you would help m—"

"I changed my mind."

My mouth opened and closed several times, trying to find something to reply with, but each time I had something, it died upon my tongue. "Kol, you promised me!" I snapped loudly, earning a number of curious glances and Kol merely raised an eyebrow.

"Promises are for love-struck fools, darling, and I'm afraid I do not love you; to be honest, I never did."

My heart shattered at his confession and it felt like my lungs just shriveled up because I could no longer breathe properly. Air could go in, but it could not come out. The blood rushed to my face and it thundered in my ears as I realized that the very thin silver lining to the darkness of my previous two years had suddenly broken and I was freefalling.

"So what the hell has this," I gestured to the space between us, "Been to you? A game?"

I stiffened as he strolled forward and circled around me until his lips were at my ear, "Precisely, love," he purred and I closed my eyes in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. "I grow bored with games that are easily won."

I whirled around to challenge him and he looked down at me with a humourless smile, but I could tell he was enjoying watching me unravel before him. "Oh? And what was so _easily won _about me, might I ask?" I hissed and he lifted his hand up to brush my cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Your heart, love."

I looked at him in horror and he chuckled darkly, his fingers wrapping around the stray strand of hair, "Yes, _little dove_, I sought out to claim the 'unclaimable' heart, or so I had been told by the gentlemen in your social circle. The way they went on about you, I was certain you would be the biggest challenge of my existence – but obviously they over exaggerated."

I jerked away and turned my back on him, not wanting to let him see the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. "I thought you loved me," I whispered and a tear disappeared into the corner of my mouth.

I felt his lips at my ear again and I shivered, "You thought wrong, but it's been fun, _darling_." When I turned around, he was gone and I was left to stand there alone, in the middle of the platform. More people had accumulated at the edge and in the distance, I could hear the whistle of the final train. I looked up, pain carved into my features, as I realized how truly alone I was. My family and my virginity had been stolen and the one good thing that I thought was going to stay in my life was suddenly gone, after stealing my last chance at happiness. Slowly I began to walk, abandoning my bags behind me and gradually my strides became more determined until I had evolved into a brisk stride. The train was almost to the platform and I just managed to get to the other end. I edged closer, earning a number of cautious glances and for a split second I actually thought against what I was about to do but the overwhelming helplessness took over. I had no family, and there was no way in hell a man would have me as a wife when I was no longer pure – so I couldn't even have the chance to live through my future children. I had no reason to live and I swallowed hard as I took another step and the front light of the train grew stronger; in the distance, I heard someone call out to me but I ignored them, and then the train was inches from the platform and I stepped out.

There was a blinding white light and then darkness.

I was screaming when I came to and I thrashed around against the metal teeth clamped around my wrists. I could still feel the pain of the impact and the heartache mixed with the burning agony that ripped through my veins. My entire body was clenched tightly against the pain and I gripped the chains until my hands shook and my knuckles turned white. I didn't even acknowledge the searing pain as my wrists were torn open and I ignored the slow, oozing warmth as my blood cascaded down my arms. I screamed until the only sounds that could come out of my mouth were wheezes and it took a while for me to realize that someone was calling my name repeatedly.

A hand cupped my face while an arm wrapped around my waist to keep me from struggling. "Olivia!" The voice said urgently and I peeled my eyes open to stare into Kol's brown ones. They were so much warmer than they had been before and I whimpered while trying to pull away from his hands. He only held on tighter. "Olivia, it's okay, it isn't real," he murmured gently as his thumb stroked against my cheek in soothing motions. He pulled his arm away from my waist and he brought it up to my face, I felt wetness fall onto my shoulder and I noticed the cloth in his hand. I struggled again, trying to pull as far from him as possible and he shushed my protests.

"No… no, please don't," I begged quietly and he fought to keep me still. "Not again…" I moaned.

"It's just water," he explained and then pressed the cloth to my cheek. I tensed up, bracing for the pain that I expected to come and I was surprised when none came. When I relaxed, a familiar 'told you so' smile graced his lips, "See, it's just water."

I couldn't help but sob quietly, my head leaning into the hand that curved around my cheek and I closed my eyes, allowing a brief moment of peace to wash over me. "You left me," I whispered without opening my eyes, "You left me and I died in every way imaginable."

He was silent, but he was so close that I could feel his gentle breath on my face and it was pleasant just as it always had been. "Don't worry, little dove," he replied while pressing the cold cloth to my forehead, "I won't leave you again."

~O~

I didn't know how long the werewolf venom had been in my system, but I could only assume that it wouldn't be long now until I died because the time between my hallucinations and my ability to tell the difference between reality and memory were slowly diminishing. My body was weak without fresh blood in my system and I could only imagine how I looked to anyone who walked into the room. It was almost immediately after my last hallucination that I found myself in a third, my vision flashing to the grand foyer of my home. I called out and listened as my voice echoed throughout the room and up the stairs and I became concerned when there was no answer. The flickering candelabras on the walls that followed the curved double staircase up to the second floor cast ominous shadows on the marble steps. The steps contorted the shapes of the shadows allowing them to twist down towards me like a mangled arm outstretched from beneath my bed, ready to drag me off into oblivion.

Lifting up my skirts, the fabric bunching in my fists, I wandered up the stairs with cautious steps. It seemed to take an eternity just to get half-way up, as I would stop to listen to the silence that permeated every inch of my home. Eventually, I found myself at the top of the stairs and I looked back and forth down the halls; none of our servants were in sight, but there was a light on in my father's study, the yellow gleam bright against the opposite wall. I crept down the hall and peeked my head around the frame of the door to his study and found the top of his head leaning against the back of his deep green armchair. I smiled warmly, and walked quietly to his side, my hand falling to his shoulder.

"Papa, I'm sorry to have kept you –" I gasped when I finally saw him. His head rested on the opposite shoulder, his neck curved at an uncomfortable angle and there was a deep, bloody gash marring his stubbly neck. I jerked my hand away and brought it to my lips, but a sob escaped anyways. "Papa!" I whined while I fell to my knees and grabbed his icy hand in my warm ones. Blood had soaked into the green fabric, turning it darker than normal and I pressed my forehead to his knee, uncontrollable sobs escaping my mouth. When I stood again, the sobs became silent heaves and I pressed my quivering lips to my father's forehead and shut his eyes while whispering my final goodbye. I would never hear his voice again and I would never witness that small, prideful smile when I voiced my opinion at the most inopportune times.

I ventured further into the study and found blood stains upon the carpet that led into the adjoined library. I froze in mid stride to stare into the looming darkness of the library and my breathing grew louder as I grabbed one of the candles and ventured inside. Slowly, the darkness became more bearable and I scanned the room with the candle light high in the air, a chair had been knocked over, as well as a bookcase, its contents spread all over the floor and gradually, I lowered the candle to scan the floor. I was terrified at what I would find, there was so much blood on the floor, but I just couldn't admit to myself what it meant. Across the room, where the chair had been thrown on its side, the body of my mother lay in a crumpled heap and I wailed at the top of my lungs while dropping the candle dish onto the table. I ran to her side and lifted her head onto my lap begging her to come back. Her dress was drenched in her blood and I stared into her wide empty eyes. I lifted her cold palm to my cheek and pressed it there, not caring about the blood I was smearing on my face. All I wanted was to feel the warmth of her fingers as she wiped my tears away like she did when I was a child. I wanted her to smile at me and say that everything would be alright. I would never hear her laugh as my father spun her around in the dining room when he thought no one was watching. All that I could do now was brush her hair from her face and close her eyes.

Behind me I heard a wheezing and I looked around at the source. In the corner, on the other side of the overturned book case laid my little sister in her white night gown. She was half on her side and half on her back, her chest rising and falling hard as she tried to breathe and I crawled towards her. I stared down into her wide, searching eyes and marveled over the fact that she was still alive. She opened her mouth in an attempt to address me, but I quickly shushed her and smoothed her hair away from her forehead, "Penny," I whispered as the tears ran down my face and I could feel the heat leaving her body. As gently as I could, I lifted her torso and clambered behind her before leaning against the wall and then her body against my chest. I didn't care if her blood got all over me; I needed to hold her because I didn't want her to die alone. At one glance to her neck I knew it was inevitable so I just held her tightly against my chest and rocked her slackening body. She was so small in my arms and I sobbed loudly and into the open, my head falling back against the wall so I could lament freely over my stolen family.

"I'm sorry, Mama," I howled and I felt my baby sister's breathing slow down further, "I'm sorry…" I felt Penny go limp in my arms and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, my entire body shaking hard as I tried to hold back the scream. It was just too much, I couldn't take any more pain. _Why them, why not me? Just kill me, please…_

"Mama! No, no please. No more, no more. I can't take it anymore!" I wailed and I began to thrash, the sharp pain in my wrists bringing me crashing into reality. I opened my sore eyes; they were stiff from the tears that I had shed during my hallucination and I breathed heavily through my mouth because I couldn't through my nose. I hadn't thought about my family in years and then all of a sudden the pain of them dying was crashing over me, my heart shattering into millions of pieces as I remembered the smell of my sister's hair, the softness of my mother's hands and the texture of my father's pants under my cheek. All I could see were their empty, lifeless eyes just staring blankly at me, accusing me, asking why I hadn't died with them. Right now, that's all I wanted as long as the pain would stop. I wanted to be dead.

I was not alone in the room when I came back to reality, my heart wrenching screams had drawn the attentions of the four Originals and I stared in defeat at them, my soulless eyes catching Kol's angry ones. He knew what I had just seen and he recognized my pain because he was the one who had found me still holding my sister's body the following morning.

Klaus was watching me, but he was not smug or pleased. In fact, he seemed genuinely shocked at my break down.

"Alright," I croaked, "I'll talk. I've had enough."


	16. A Shred of Dignity

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Due to Canada's success in the gold medal hockey match this morning, I have decided to update a second time today as my own way of celebration. However, because I am posting this chapter now rather than next week, please do not be surprised if I don't update this coming Saturday/Sunday. I have neglected homework over my reading week and I have a feeling I'm going to pay the price for it this week. I would love to give a special thanks to Kilera and K (Guest) for reviewing the last chapter, it truly means a lot to me. Please, please continue to review, favorite and follow this story! Much love!**

My body still heaved with each breath I took and I swayed lightly from side to side due to the heavy breaths I took. My head fell forward in exhaustion and it took all the strength I had to lift it again and stare at Klaus who had not moved; in fact, he had barely reacted at all. I coughed dryly and took note as my minimal strength dwindled further; surely this was the end because I don't think I can bare any more pain. My haggard voice tore through my raw throat and a number of times, it died before I could get anything out. Finally, at a level barely above a whisper, I managed to speak, "Did you hear me?" I wheezed and another coughing fit took over causing my mouth to flood with blood. Furiously, I spat onto the plastic sheet, the macabre substance coating my lips and staining the crevices of my teeth. "I've had enough… I – I'll tell you whatever… whatever you want."

Klaus continued to stare at me, but a small smile played around his lips this time, and I tried to glare at him but I was too weak to make it threatening. I could feel the burn of his gaze and I shuddered noticeably, causing the chains that attached the bear traps to the ceiling to rattle ominously and I closed my eyes gently in search of momentary peace, hoping that I could imagine, just for a brief period of time that I was somewhere – anywhere – else but here. Perhaps, if I could tune everything out, I would die with a little dignity.

_Looking a little worse for wear, love_…

Peeling my eyes open, I focused once again on the hybrid before me. He didn't look like he was expecting a snappy retort or even a reaction and I sighed deeply when I realized what happened. Klaus was before me in an instant and he lifted his bare wrist to my mouth. I pulled away with a look of confusion and he explained condescendingly to me that his blood would cure the werewolf venom. Instantly, a gnawing sensation of disgust blossomed in the pit of my stomach and he merely stood there with a patient expression while I fought the urge to gag. _The only place on your body I want to plunge my fangs into is your throat as I rip it out!_ I snarled inwardly and then opened my mouth so my lips could curl around the lengthening incisors. My eyes blackened and the veins snaked outwards before I sunk my fangs into the soft tissues of his wrist, and I wasn't gentle about it. The second that the first mouthful of blood slid down my throat, I could feel the poison being leached from my cells and the strength that flowed into my muscles. After three mouthfuls, Klaus pulled his wrist away with an expectant grin and then reached out to wipe the corner of my mouth with the pad of his thumb. I flinched both at his touch and at the realization that I had just signed a deal with the Devil himself and that there was no turning back now.

"Let's get to business, shall we?" He hummed and then stepped off of the plastic sheet to study my face. The gore was still slick against my lips and my tongue darted out to wipe them clean. Now that the agonizing burn of the werewolf venom had disappeared I was able to focus more on the aching throb in my shoulders due to the long days I've spent chained up to the ceiling by my wrists. I curled my fingers around the metal chain links, the cold hard metal pressing firmly into the heel of my palm as I attempted to perform a pull up. My shoulders and my elbows screamed in protest, but I forced my arms to lower my body slowly because if I dropped, the teeth of the bear traps would probably rip clean through my wrists. I was so preoccupied with the prevention of any further damage to my wrists that I wasn't paying attention to Klaus' first question, and when I finally focused on his face, he was watching me impatiently.

"What?" My voice was thick and raspy and I cleared my throat and then swallowed through the desert that carpeted my tongue.

Klaus sighed heavily and tipped his head back to look at the ceiling in frustration, "What. Was. Your last hallucination. About?" He enunciated each part as if that would help in some way unbeknownst to me.

I squinted at him in confusion and he lowered his chin so his eyes bore into mine and I tilted my head slightly to the side while my lips curled slightly around the words I wanted to say. "Wh…why is _that_ important to you?" If Klaus was going to use this deal just so he can poke around in my personal history, then he had another thing coming. When Klaus didn't answer me and when he didn't move on to another question I growled in frustration. "It was about finding my family dead," I said flatly and Klaus' eyebrows rose. "They were killed… by a vampire," my voice went quiet when I admitted to the murderer being a vampire. At the back of the room I saw Elijah's eyes dart towards Kol and I shook my head furiously. "No, Elijah." I snapped and it caused Kol to look back at his older brother. When they both turned to me, Elijah had a doubtful look on his face and Kol looked incredulous that Elijah would automatically assume that he was the vampire who did it.

"It wasn't Kol – he was with me the night it happened and it was after he dropped me off that I found them." I fought the urge to snort at the look Kol sent Elijah, it was a childishly smug look and Elijah raised an eyebrow in response.

"Then do you know who it was?" Elijah inquired while stepping forward from the back of the room and I shook my head while I closed my eyes in pain as the image of my sister's empty eyes flashed before my vision. "Obviously, this is very painful for you," Elijah reasoned while shooting a scathing glance at Klaus, "But it seems that my brother thinks there is something useful in this part of your past -"

"Well don't you think I would have thought of it before!?"

"Olivia, the sooner you answer Niklaus' questions, the sooner you can leave."

My eyes flashed in anger and I scoffed bitterly at Klaus' audacity. "You have tortured me for God knows how long, you have questions about me and my abilities, and yet, you have ceased to get to them and you continue to walk in circles around the true answers that you want. My family and their deaths have nothing to do with you and the information you want. Leave. Them. Out. Of it." I snarled viciously, but the threat could only go so far coming from a century old vampire tied up by chains. Klaus was amused, nonetheless, and he casually strode forward to circle around my hanging body like he was inspecting a fine artwork. I rolled my neck causing it to crack loudly; any distraction from his heavy gaze was good enough for me.

"If you're uncomfortable, why don't you just open the traps to remove your wrists?" Klaus sneered after a time and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, perhaps if I had a third hand."

Klaus growled at me with impatience and I pressed my lips into a thin line. "What I mean to ask is why you don't just free yourself with whatever it is that you possess that allowed you to snap my neck."

_And so it begins_, I thought to myself as I studied the millennia old hybrid with hatred. To me, it was more than obvious what I had done to him, but it seemed that this man with one thousand years worth of experience still wanted to be spoon fed information like a four year old.

"It's called telekinesis," I snapped, "Surely you've come across it?"

"Vampires cannot perform telekinesis." Elijah interjected while Klaus shot me a look that warned me from playing these games with him. "Telekinesis is something witches are able to do, and since a vampire cannot be a witch simultaneously…"

I groaned loudly and dropped my head back to stare at the ceiling, "Witches perform telekinesis through their magic, I, on the other hand need to tap into a specific emotion that is appropriate for the action I am trying to complete."

"Which means that you are not _just_ a vampire," Klaus concluded. "As my brother already clarified, it is impossible for a vampire to use telekinesis. So, Olivia," Klaus mused quietly as he came to stand just feet away from me, his cold blue eyes boring into my flaming embers as his lips pursed, "That begs the question of what you are, aside from being a vampire."

I glowered back at him with an expression of contempt. Everything inside of me was protesting against confessing to him about my best kept secret, if I told him anything about me then I would be endangering myself and everyone who was helping me. If Klaus Mikaelson finds out the truth about me I can kiss my freedom goodbye, but I made a deal with him and I couldn't just back out now and escape with my life. _Just lie to him_, I hissed at myself but I knew that would be a futile attempt, if there was anything that Klaus Mikaelson was good at, it was getting what he wants. It would have to be a damn good lie to satisfy him and I'm fresh out of ideas – _God, James is going to _kill_ me when he finds out that I spilled the beans_. My lip curled in disgust at how much of a checkmate I was in, how could I have let myself get backed into a corner? I could see just how much Klaus was enjoying my torment over his hold on me, and I fought extremely hard against the urge to spit on his face.

"I don't have all evening, Miss Knight," Klaus pressed.

A grim half smile crossed my face as I begrudgingly opened my mouth, "Have you ever heard of a phoenix?"

"They're just an old wives' tale –"

"They're practically extinct," Klaus clarified at the same time as Rebekah spoke and he turned to glance at her.

"Unfortunately, Klaus is right," I said grimly. "Phoenixes have little to no hope of continuing their blood line as the majority of what is left of them is only half blooded. As I understand it, there is only _one_ full blooded phoenix left on earth." Slowly, the gazes of the four Originals turned back to look at me and I squirmed slightly under the sudden attention. "That would be me," I admitted finally.

"Let me get this straight. You're a phoenix - a creature only spoken of by the witches until the humans got their little hands on the story and turned it into an urban legend?" Rebekah asked with incredulity, trying hard to mask her shock.

"Rebekah, you speak of the phoenixes as if they were the creation of witches like vampires were. Phoenixes were _born_ not created, and there is evidence that proves that phoenixes are older than witches - although, I don't think it's by much."

"Alright," Klaus stated firmly in order to bring the conversation back to where he wanted it. "Aside from your telekinetic abilities, what else can you do?"

I paused with my mouth hanging open and my eyes slid down to stare blankly at his feet. The words I really wanted to say died upon my tongue when my self-preservation instincts kicked in; I wanted to lie and tell Klaus that was all I could do because revealing these secrets didn't just mean that I was putting myself in danger, but I was also risking the lives of everyone else like me, as well as their freedom. I bit down hard on my lip causing blood to pool on the supple skin and trickle into my mouth, as well as down my chin. Honestly, I should have just let him kill me, that way I wouldn't have to betray anyone… _but you are more important, alive, _I whispered to myself and then I whimpered pitifully.

Klaus' hand curled around the bottom of my jaw, his fingers and thumb digging into the hallows of my cheeks so harshly that I could already feel the painful ache in my muscles. He forced my head up so he could claim my gaze and I hated myself for the tears that slipped down my cheeks and over his fingers, but I couldn't be bothered to let it show – I knew when I was defeated, but that wouldn't keep me from prolonging the inevitable. "What. Else. Can. You. Do?" Klaus growled, enunciating each word while his grip on my face tightened further. He was inches away from my face and I could see, as well as feel, the anger and impatience radiating off of his body, and it caused my body to shiver violently.

When his eyes bled over into that nightmarish yellow again a sharp jab of fear exploded in my chest but it was soon masked by a deep rooted anger and a wave of heat shot up my body. My typically sluggish heart slammed against my chest and I heard the rush of blood muffle all the sounds in the room and the scalding heat that had crawled into my limbs burned heavily, engulfing my heart and then, as if everything I felt was being held together by a simple strand of string, it snapped, and every emotion I had exploded outwards. Klaus went stumbling back a few feet, his arms fumbling in the air as he tried to remain on his feet and I glared darkly at him from behind the strands of hair that had fallen into my face.

"You're lucky I'm telling you anything," I hissed menacingly and jerked my head to the side to remove the hair from my face. I released a short huff of breath as Klaus straightened and then spoke again, "There is a reason that I am hesitant in telling you what I know. I am fully aware that my life is the bargaining chip in this situation but from where I stand, it is more than my life at stake here. The phoenix line is limited as it is, as you have already stated, we are practically extinct." There was a firmness to my voice as I began to explain my deepest reservations about telling him, or anyone else for that matter, the secrets of my species. "The blame for our dwindling numbers rests majorly on the vampires. The blood of a phoenix is sought out by vampires who catch the scent; typically these vampires are about five-hundred years old and younger."

"It is highly addictive and most vampires cannot control themselves enough to not drain the phoenix completely. This also just so happens to be the only sure way to permanently kill a phoenix," I continued and I squirmed against the teeth that bit into my wrist. The guilt in my chest swelled to an uncomfortable size, I couldn't believe I was actually betraying this information to Klaus _fucking_ Mikaelson.

"I've never heard of phoenixes except in the stories, much less a vampire being addicted to their blood," Elijah pointed out and I gave a half smile.

"If you think about it, it's completely logical," I replied while trying to roll my shoulders despite the excruciating pain, "Phoenixes represent the sun, life, rebirth, immortality whereas vampires represent death, darkness and immortality. Vampires, unless they have a daylight ring, are confined to the darkness and if they drink the blood of a phoenix, they get to relive how they felt in the sun, as humans."

"What does that mean for you?"

Everyone, including myself turned to face Kol who still stood at the back of the room near the door. His arms were crossed over his chest and his legs were in a wide stance, there was no expression on his face but even from where I hung I could see the glittering depths of his eyes that reflected curiosity, uncertainty and worry. However, it was the worry that was most prominent in his tone of voice, even if his siblings didn't pick up on it, I certainly did. Regardless, I was surprised that he was the one to voice this concern and I could tell by the look on Elijah's face that he shared the surprise.

"What are you getting at, Kol?" Rebekah inquired curiously and Kol uncrossed his arms.

As he strode further into the room, he spoke, while allowing his hands to gesture to me, "If Olivia is some type of hybrid between a vampire and a phoenix then surely there would be some effect on her." His siblings stared at him like he had grown a second head, but his thought triggered something in me. "Phoenixes and vampires basically represent the same thing, but they are two sides to the same coin, as Olivia already explained," Kol continued as he came closer to me. For the first time ever I compared myself to how I was when I was human and an answer I had been searching for clicked.

"It makes me unstable," I blurted out and the Originals turned their attentions back to me, "I'm quick to anger and I act upon the first thought that comes to my head. I don't have control over my emotions and I don't have control over my blood lust – which is why I avoid drinking from a live person at all costs." I was stunned to say the least and my eyes closed against the realization as James' voice floated through my mind _the vampire blood in you struggles every day to take control and every time you kill, the vampire blood is that much closer to success._

"But you have yet to answer my most pressing question," Klaus snapped and I rolled my eyes at his childlike reaction.

"You mean I haven't given you access to anything else that could possibly work in your favour." My dulcet tone dripped with sarcasm and I smirked when Klaus' lips twitched in anger. My face fell and I shook my head slowly in disbelief; of course Klaus wanted this information to figure out how it would best serve _him_, I should not be surprised by this. "Apparently, I can read minds too and only the strongest phoenixes – the direct descendents of the Originals – are able to manipulate the mind, much like a vampire's abilities to compel, they are also rumored to be able to manipulate fire – but according to my sources, there is no definite proof of this ability."

"Your sources – and what the bloody hell do you mean you can read minds?" Klaus asked, appalled that I had not one, but two mind tricks that could work against him and it caused me to grin with satisfaction. It was about time that Klaus Mikaelson was disrupted from his powerful position as a hybrid – the man was much too comfortable with power.

"Not to worry yourself, _sweetheart_," I sneered and Klaus' eyes narrowed dangerously and my mocking tone, "It isn't as developed as my telekinetic abilities are. I am unable to read minds on demand; so far, it has happened only when my guard is down."

"And how often does that happen?" Elijah asked quietly as he shoved a hand into the pocket of his slacks. I sighed deeply as I thought back to my last feeding and a sharp pang of guilt exploded in my chest. Killing was one thing, but listening to someone beg for their life as I drank greedily from the artery in their neck was a completely different thing. I lowered my gaze to the floor in shame as I tried to keep my lip from quivering – I hated not having control over myself. "Olivia?" Elijah pressed me to answer him and even without looking at him I could tell he was concerned.

"I _accidentally_ tapped into this guy's head when I killed him the other night," I whispered and I refused to look at them. I knew I didn't have anything to fear about how they would see me; I knew that between the four of them, they had probably murdered thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people in their one thousand years. This didn't stop me from being ashamed though; I've always hated death and dying, even as a human. My father had been a doctor and, sometimes, I would eavesdrop on his conversations with my mother and when he spoke of the patients who died it would give me nightmares.

"Well, that's not morbid at all," Rebekah scoffed and Elijah hissed at her to be quiet.

"No, no," I dismissed her comment, "She's completely right. It _is_ morbid and I was horrified at what I had done, and disgusted that his thoughts _still_ weren't enough to get me to stop." A bitter taste filled my mouth and I swallowed harshly while my lips turned down into a grimace, "The other time was earlier today, before you had me drink your blood." The memory of his blood sliding down my throat made me want to gag, it had been good at the time, but the thought of having it in my system now was unsettling.

Klaus looked at me like he didn't believe me and I smirked, "You made the comment that I looked a 'little worse for wear'. I have to agree with you, Klaus, I probably do look like hell, but you could set me on fire and my charred, crumbling body would look a hundred times better than you on your best day."

Klaus growled low in his throat and began to advance on me but Kol was suddenly between us with his back to me. His stance was wide and protective and I peered around him to look at Klaus. I was pretty sure that my insult was not what set the hybrid off. It was most likely the idea that I had invaded his privacy which was the trigger, even if I hadn't done it intentionally. It was interesting to note how such a small disturbance in Klaus' amount of power could set him off – something that might be useful in the future.

"She's answered your questions, Klaus. Now it's time to hold up your end of the deal," Kol warned and I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

Klaus' lips sunk into a frown and he studied me with disdain. The knowledge I had bestowed upon him was working against him – he wanted to keep me longer, I could see that, but the bottom line was that he made a deal and there would be nothing stopping Kol from ripping his head off if he tried to back away from it.

"You want your freedom?" He drawled and took a step back from Kol before flashing over to me. In a fraction of a second he had ripped the traps open and I fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. My knees throbbed in pain as they crashed onto the marble flooring and my torso fell forward. Out of instinct my arms shot out to catch myself but the torn muscles of my wrists had no strength to support my body and my arms collapsed beneath me, my wrists flaring with pain. I groaned loudly as my face fell into the floor and I slumped onto my side, the pain so great that I was barely able to move. Between my screaming shoulders and my throbbing wrists I could barely bring myself to rejoice in the fact that I was no longer trussed up in chains.

"Well then, have at it," Klaus finished before gesturing to the door and I tilted my head so I could look at the exit, but I didn't have the strength to lift my head. Klaus was gone in a flash and I was left with Kol, Rebekah and Elijah.

A pitiful moan escaped my lips and I used my forearms and elbows to push myself up before awkwardly positioning my feet so I could come to a stand. A pair of gentle hands curled around my shoulders and the strength behind them was unmistakable. I didn't need to look at him to know it was Kol's hands wrapped around my arms, I could never mistake his scent even if I tried. I had been weak for too long and I didn't want him to help me now, I needed to salvage what little was left of my dignity so I shrugged him off.

"M'fine," I mumbled and I took a step but the second I put weight on my leg, my ankle gave out and I crashed forward. I didn't land though because Kol caught me around the waist and he slowly lifted me so I could stand.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn, little dove," he murmured into my hair and I felt his body shift from behind mine. He was supporting me against his chest and then his jacket was being slung around my shoulders which reminded me that Klaus had ripped my shirt apart and I had been hanging there, practically shirtless, for days. I closed my eyes in embarrassment but opened them again when Kol continued, "If you need help, all you have to do is ask."

I could _hear_ the smirk in his tone and I was about to snap back when I felt Kol move my arm around his neck and suddenly, he was lifting me into the air. I groaned painfully as my spine curved and I allowed my head to fall onto his shoulder, my forehead pressing into the side of his neck. "I don't want help," I mumbled as he left the room, careful to maneuver me through the door so I wouldn't smash my head on the frame.

"Mmhm," Kol hummed and he hugged me tighter to his chest so I wouldn't slip out of his arms. The last thing I remembered was the refreshing breeze of the cool night air on my face and I don't think I was ever more grateful for my freedom before this night.


	17. Bloodlust

The stairs creaked under the weight of Kol's feet as he made his way back to the main floor of Olivia's house. It had been well after midnight when he arrived at the house with Olivia draped over his arms and he smirked slightly at the memory of how well she had fit there, like nothing had ever changed. Her incredibly familiar scent clung to his shirt and he marveled at how little it, too, had changed. In fact, he could still pick out the delicate notes of the windblown wild flowers from the gardens in which he had spent much of his time courting her. However, in light of the secrets she had revealed about herself, he could now pinpoint why he felt the way he had when she had offered her blood to him. It was the phoenix blood that had engulfed him with heat the minute it touched his tongue, it was basking in the glow of a grand bonfire and feeling its thick heat warm you to the bone. Olivia's blood had intoxicated him with a musky haze; it was a flavour he had never tasted before in his lifetime, and he had tasted many before. Even when she was human he could sense the power that coursed through her veins, and when he drank from her, raw, burning passion flooded into his mouth and he found himself craving it even now.

Kol stopped at the base of the stairs and swallowed hard against the memory of how Olivia's blood tasted. It had been the first thing he thought of after the dagger had been removed, and it had been the only thing he could think about ever since. He wanted to taste her again, to relive that intoxicating heat that she so easily provided; he wanted to feel her body pressed against him with his lips at the pulsing vein of her throat. He wanted her fingers to twist into his hair as his fangs plunged into her ivory flesh; and he would have _all_ of this again, if it were the last thing he ever did. He detested the thought that she had been tainted by other men before him, _including Damon _bloody_ Salvatore_ he snarled internally as he stalked into the kitchen. It had taken all his self control the night of the Ball not to tear into Salvatore in front of all the guests the second he caught the scent of _his_ little dove on Damon but he had not meant to hurt Olivia. No, definitely not, yet he knew perfectly well that Olivia did not tolerate subtlety.

Rummaging through the cupboards, Kol searched for something to keep him occupied until Olivia woke up again. It was progressing into early afternoon now and Olivia was still sound asleep. He didn't blame her, of course, but Kol wasn't known for his patience and there were only so many text messages from Rebekah that he could handle. Right on cue, Kol's phone buzzed in his pocket; in a flash it was in his hand and he was frowning at it.

-Is she awake?-

Kol rolled his eyes and quickly sent a "no" in reply. It was then that he found the shelf where Olivia kept a selection of teas, as well as her _limited _choices of coffee. He cautiously reached forward and plucked the jar of instant coffee from the shelf and held it gingerly in his hand, half expecting it to jump at his face. He twisted the cap off and sniffed at the contents causing his nose to wrinkle and his head to jerk back from the unpleasant scent of the coffee. It had a cheap and overly bitter scent to it and, when he peered inside, he noted that the brown grains stuck together. He grumbled to himself as he jammed the lid back on and tossed the jar into the trash bin before pulling out the boxes of tea from the shelf. He was in the middle of studying the third box when he heard the increasing volume of footsteps coming up the walkway to the house and he dropped the box onto the kitchen island while sighing loudly in frustration.

He had the door open before Elena had a chance to knock and she jumped back in surprise causing the Original vampire to grin slyly. Kol then noticed that Elena wasn't alone as Stefan came up to stand behind her and behind Stefan was Damon who had paused at the bottom stair. Kol's eyebrows rose in amusement and the side of his mouth curved upwards while his eyes darkened. From within the house, Kol's hearing picked up on the shift upstairs and he listened to see if there was any further movement. When none came, he assumed that Olivia had just rolled over. With Olivia out of hearing range, he supposed he could have a little fun with these three so he relaxed against the open door frame, his silhouette challenging either of them to try and walk past him and into the house.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Damon demanded in a loathing tone as he stomped up the stairs only to be stopped short by Stefan's outstretched arm. Kol's mouth curved into a dark smile and he shoved off of the door frame to reach behind and close the door with an audible snap.

"I could ask the same of you three," Kol practically purred as he stood in front of the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

Elena stepped forward tentatively as she fiddled with the strap of her bag, "Elijah let us know that Klaus released Olivia. We… we just wanted to make sure she was alright."

Kol rolled his eyes at Elijah's unnecessary consideration; of course Kol's eldest brother would be the first to tell the Salvatores and their groupies about Olivia, but he had also hoped that her friends would have had the decency to stay away for a few days. 

"She has been out of my brother's clutches for less than twenty-four hours and you honestly think that she's recovered enough to have a conversation with you?" Kol growled darkly as he advanced on them and it did not escape his notice that Stefan pushed Elena behind him.

"We would have come for her sooner, Kol," Stefan commented quietly, forever trying to keep the peace, "But we were under the impression that she was in New York." Stefan did not back away from the advancing Original, not even when the two were almost toe to toe.

Kol glowered at the Salvatore brothers and Damon came to stand at his brother's shoulder. "And why would she be in New York?" Kol hissed and then took a step back to steady himself when Damon pushed him away from Stefan.

"Klaus planned it all," Stefan revealed as if it were the most obvious conclusion. "He forged a note from Olivia explaining that she had gone away for a few days – it wouldn't have been the first time, so we thought nothing of it."

The Original vampire look away with fury etched onto his face; _Klaus truly thinks of everything_, he thought bitterly as he pursed his lips and then turned back to face the two younger vampires, "Klaus, may his soul burn in hell, has been torturing Olivia for the past three or more days. He has been ruthless on her mind and her body and she has not yet had the time to recover, and on top of that, I highly doubt she wants to see you, _any _of you." Kol finished with a pointed look towards Damon and he smirked with pleasure at the angry snarl that crossed the Salvatore's face.

"Oh don't pretend that you're thinking about her best interests," Damon snapped and he stomped past the Original, making sure to knock shoulders with him, "You're not fooling anyone. You just want her alone so you can brainwash her into thinking we don't care about her. Or is it just me you're worried about?" When Kol turned to face the younger vampire with a dangerous expression, Damon refused to back down, his intense blue eyes challenging the Original vampire to retaliate. "What's wrong, Mikaelson?" Damon hissed, "Are you afraid she'll pick me over you? After all, it was me she turned to for comfort after you hurt her and she even said that she wanted to give us a chance. She could learn to love me, she claimed, but I'm the one who turned her down;" he shrugged, nonchalantly, but seconds later, his mouth turned up in a large grin while his eyes glinted spitefully at the impact his words had on his opponent, "Otherwise, she'd be _mine _by now."

Kol's lips curled viciously around his lengthened incisors and he flew at Damon, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket and slamming him into the post beside the stairs. Damon attempted to fight the Original off of him but the energy was wasted as it only took a firm hand to the base of Damon's throat to keep him pinned. Kol couldn't help but be amused by the younger vampire's futile attempts and he chuckled darkly into Damon's face. Stefan stood up a little straighter at the sudden violence and took a couple steps towards the dispute while Elena glanced around in alarm, worried about any potential witnesses.

"You know," Kol began as his vampire face slid out of view and a charming, yet menacing smile graced his lips, "The curious thing about all this is that, when you were tortured at the hands of my sister, Damon, Olivia did everything in her power to save you. Granted, it failed, but she still fought tooth and nail to get to you." Kol continued to keep Damon pinned against the support post but his head circled around to fix Stefan and Elena with a heated stare, "And when you were trapped in those tunnels, Elena, was it not Olivia who went to save you? Did she not refer to the final resort of turning your friend's mother _just to save you_? So, where were either of you when she needed to be saved? You may have been led astray by my manipulative brother, but you could have gone after her when you found out the truth."

Turning to catch Damon's eye again, Kol saw the deep bitterness in the younger vampire's eyes and he knew instantly that Damon had wanted to go after her, regardless of where she was. Kol frowned angrily at Damon's determination to weasel back into the heart of _his_ little dove – it would not be the first time that Kol stomped out the competition, but it had never been this difficult before. Suddenly, he let go of Damon and gave him a final shove that sent the Salvatore down the stairs where he landed in a heap at the bottom.

"I should really be thanking all of you, though," Kol chirped in an overly friendly tone as he gestured with an open hand to the three unwelcomed guests, "Especially you, Damon." Kol then jogged down the steps and lifted Damon up by the front of his jacket. "Without you, Olivia would still be fighting against me," Kol explained as he brushed off the front of Damon's jacket, "So. Thank you, for returning to me what's mine."

Damon glared darkly at the Original vampire, knowing a lost battle when he saw one. His lips turned down into a grimace as he backed away slowly and then headed down the walkway only to stop dead. "Oh and Damon," Kol called out from the top of the stairs. "If you ever come near Olivia again, I'll tear you limb from limb and paint this town with your blood." Kol then disappeared back into the house and closed the door with a loud snap, thus dismissing the three guests outside. 

~O~ 

Searing pain ripped across my abdomen and I jolted awake with a cry upon my lips. My hands frantically searched my stomach for a wound expecting them to be coated in blood when I pulled them away, but they weren't and I looked down at myself to find no wound on my stomach. It felt like I had just run across the world and back because I was breathing so hard and I repeated to myself that it was merely a dream, that I was home now and Klaus wasn't here wielding a knife with my name on it. I paused in mid thought to look around at my surroundings and as I took in the familiar sage green walls of my bedroom with the black framed photos of all the places I'd been to, my heart started to calm down. I realized then that I was not chained up to the ceiling, it had only been a nightmare – but the pain had felt so _real_. I shoved the puffy material of my white duvet off my legs and lifted my shirt up so I could inspect the unflawed skin with my own eyes. Nope, there was no gaping slash right down the center and there were no one inch pucker marks where Klaus had sunk the knife to the hilt. There was no blood and there was no actual pain, just phantom spasms as my mind played dirty tricks on me like I was still poisoned with werewolf venom.

I sucked in a huge breath and held it for a minute before releasing it while I shoved a hand through my knotted and stringy hair. I didn't want to move but I had to get out of bed sooner or later despite the little sleep I got. The nightmares had terrorized me all night and at about seven or eight this morning I had finally fallen into an uninterrupted sleep – except for that last nightmare. I rolled to the side of my bed and let my feet fall to the floor as my hand felt around for the clock – it was after two in the afternoon and I threw it back onto the table so I could stare at my hands. I was pleased to find that my daylight ring had returned to my finger and I spun it around possessively, a feeling of relief blooming in the pit of my stomach. I stood up quickly and removed my bra while walking towards my bathroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind until I stood on the cold tile floor stark naked and peering into the mirror above my sink. _This must be how I looked when I got hit by the train_ I thought to myself as I turned on the shower. The hot water felt great as it washed away the dirt and grime of the last few days and I relished in the feeling as the force of the water drummed against my back, smoothing away the knots in my muscles.

I stood in the shower for as long as the hot water lasted and even though I just wanted to sit in the warmth forever, all good things must come to an end. In the span of twenty minutes I dried myself, my hair and then dressed myself in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. Today was not a day that I wanted to leave the house and it seemed a waste to wear a good shirt when I would just be lounging around. Quietly, I exited my room and padded down the stairs, and the second I reached the bottom I froze with my hand on the banister. I could smell him before I saw him and I breathed in quietly with my eyes closed as his familiar intoxicating haze washed over me. I didn't understand why I was so sensitive to his scent now, when before, he could have sat down right beside me and I would have been able to block him out. I shook myself to break out of the haze and edged into the kitchen to find Kol sitting at the island with his head balanced on his hand as he flicked lazily through his phone.

I padded quietly in his direction while my fingers toyed with the hem of my shirt. There was a sudden burning sensation in the pit of my stomach and I swallowed hard against the growing discomfort at the back of my throat. I needed blood as soon as possible and I hoped that I could beat back the urges for another day or so before I found myself some blood bags. I stopped at the edge of the island and without looking up from his phone, Kol spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

_Hmm… how do I feel_? I asked myself. Exhausted, used, defeated? Those three words seemed like the best choices for how I felt at the moment. Perhaps broken was even more appropriate and I found myself struggling to recover from the constant onslaught of my worst memories, memories that I had squashed down and locked away in the shadows of my mind. My body would always be able to repair itself, but my heart and mind were so full of scars, I no longer had space for new ones.

"Alright, I guess," I shrugged and went to grab a mug from the cupboard so I could pour myself some tea. Behind me I heard Kol place his mug on the counter and slide it away from him. I turned back around and caught the look on his face that clearly told me that he knew I was lying. I stared at him without speaking and he held my gaze as he gently placed his phone face down on the counter and crossed his arms over the marble top of the island. I sighed loudly and drummed my fingers against the counter. "I'll live," I amended my previous statement while rolling my eyes, the burning ache in my stomach flared angrily and in order to distract myself I moved to the side so I could pick the tea that I wanted and found my collection in a messy pile on the counter. I picked up a box and shot Kol a curious look and his eyes darted away from me, his lips curling into an amused smirk. Like the face of a child, trying not to appear guilty.

"Did you just decide to rearrange my cupboards but got bored in the middle?" I demanded and I scooped up the other boxes and shoved them back into the original spots, but not before I noticed that my coffee selection had dwindled to nothing. "What the hell?" I muttered to myself before finding the jar of instant coffee in the garbage. "Who the hell said you could come into _my _house and start throwing away my stuff?" I snapped while reaching into the trash to pull out the jar of coffee, I was more than aware of the age of the coffee but I was more angry at Kol for interfering with my possessions than I was angry about the coffee being thrown out.

Kol was at my side in an instant and he tugged the jar from my hand, dropping it back into the garbage. "Are you really arguing with me about _coffee_?" he muttered and I glowered heatedly at him as the burn in my stomach crept up to my throat. I swallowed back the brutal urges that tried to claw through my better judgment. I was in a nasty mood, it seemed, and I was awfully confrontational if my willingness to argue with Kol over aged instant coffee was anything to go by.

I rolled my shoulders in agitation at my obvious show of weakness. I should be better at hiding the violent tendencies that I felt when I didn't feed, but I think I was secretly glad that I didn't have to now that the Originals were aware of my best guarded secret. My jaw clenched as a particularly painful gnawing sensation knocked against my stomach and I had to put some space between Kol and I because all I could smell was his blood as my nose was level with the lethargically throbbing vein at his throat. Not only would he easily put me in my place – somewhere between his foot and the floor – if I went for his throat without his permission but I would be incredibly embarrassed that I couldn't keep myself in check.

As I passed the kettle I flicked the switch into the on position and then went to take a seat on the other stool beside Kol's now vacant one. I pulled myself slowly onto the hard wooden base and began to trace the swirly lines of the copper ribbons of the countertop but I had to stop because the ribbons reminded me more and more of tendrils of blood that swirled around in a body of clear water. I heard Kol make a sound of realization in the back of his throat and he rested his elbows on the counter and leaned his weight on them.

My lips pressed together when he spoke, "You need to feed." His accent caressed the words in such a way that only a vampire could pull off when talking about drinking blood. It was incredibly natural, coming out of his mouth and I glanced up quickly, my eyes darkening at the thought of blood. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face before allowing it to curl over the back of his neck. "Well, alright," he muttered and took a couple steps towards the door, "There should be plenty of poor, unsuspecting chaps roaming the streets at this time of day," Kol smirked at me and raised his arm as if to say 'ladies first'.

I shook my head wildly, "Are you crazy?" My eyes had widened to the size of saucers and my torso was leaning away from the direction that he was inviting me to go in, "I can't feed from someone, I'll kill them!"

"Your point being?"

I made a noise of incredulity, "Did you not listen to me yesterday? _I can't control my bloodlust_!"

Kol raised his hands in defense and I couldn't help but feel a little surprised, usually he was encouraging my temper, not trying to calm it down. "Olivia, you need to feed. If you keep pushing the envelope –"

"I know damn well what will happen," I snarled, "I'm not that young of a vampire." I glared at him but immediately regretted snapping at him – he was right, I could become extremely dangerous if I kept denying myself as it had happened before. Kol was only trying to help, _for once, _I snapped internally but I was too stubborn to admit out loud that he was right, so I let my shoulders relax from their defensive position, as some sort of lame apology. "I'll just… grab a couple of blood bags when I can. I'm sure the Salvatores will have some extras."

I caught Kol's sharp intake of breath and the anger in his voice. "You won't last that long," he hissed and I knew that he didn't want me anywhere near the Salvatores; _you mean, he doesn't want you near Damon_, I corrected myself and then rolled my eyes at his possessive nature. I wasn't all that interested in going to Damon for help either, but Stefan was another story – he'd be more than helpful because if anyone knew the downside to uncontrollable bloodlust, it was Stefan Salvatore.

Dismissing Kol's resentment, I decided that I would contact Stefan later this evening or the next morning to ask him for a couple of bags – that way I could avoid seeing Damon. I turned away from Kol to rest my head on my hand and sighed heavily as a wave of exhaustion passed through my body. The discomfort in my throat as my urges burned relentlessly grew larger and larger. I closed my eyes, willing the burning to subside as I tried to tune everything out and it worked for a time because I didn't hear Kol walk up behind me. I didn't pick up on how his scent magnified as he came closer to where I sat and I sure as hell didn't pick up on his presence. If there was one thing about Kol Mikaelson that you _couldn't_ ignore, it was his presence and the way he carried himself with the utmost highest esteem. There were days where that part of his personality could be incredibly charming - but most of the time it irritated me to no end.

The sound of ripping flesh filled the room and then all I could smell was blood, its overwhelming assault coating the back of my throat. Kol's torn and bloody wrist appeared in front of my face and I jerked back, startled by the sight. The smell paralyzed me and I had to grit my teeth against the fighting vampire face that wanted to break free. It smelled _so damn good_ and I could feel the ache in my stomach swell as it craved for a taste of that crisp metallic sustenance that always filled me with sensual lust and power. I tried to slide off the stool and away from the temptation but Kol's hand wrapped around the curve between my neck and my shoulders and shoved me back down. I felt his breath on the side of my face and each time his lips pursed, they brushed against my ear which sent a shiver down my spine.

"Drink it," he hummed in my ear, his tone teasing and inviting – daring me to take him up on the offer and I swallowed hard as I felt the veins around my eyes snake out, betraying my true desire.

"No," I snapped stubbornly but it was useless to refuse because my incisors had already lengthened and my voice warped around them.

I felt Kol's fingers brush away a few strands of hair, "You are mistaken if you think I'm giving you a choice – now drink it or I will force you to." Slowly, he pushed his wrist closer to my mouth and I whimpered as my mind and my instincts fought for control – my body wanted blood, it needed blood – but I didn't want to let Kol win, yet, I was sure that I had little say in the matter. "Olivia," he murmured against my ear and the sensation sent another chill down my spine, "Please. I don't want to force you when I know how much you want it."

Tentatively, I brought my hand up and allowed it to curve around the back of his, bringing his wrist closer to my lips. I tipped my head down and let my lips mold around his wound. The second my tongue pressed against the wound and the blood filled my mouth, I no longer had any reservations about drinking from his wrist. My eyes closed as a rush of ecstasy exploded through me and I sucked more and more of his blood, pulling at his skin with my mouth. I was vaguely aware of the fact that he pulled my head closer to his chest so I could lean against it, his fingers casually playing with the ends of my hair and his lips pressing against my temple. Beneath my tongue, I felt the wound start to close, so as gently as possible I sunk my fangs into his flesh to reopen the wound and his thumb twitched against my cheek as a grunt escaped his lips. As a human, I hadn't realized just how great he tasted but now that I was a vampire I appreciated the flavour of his blood. He tasted like aged notes of warmed spice with a mix of sensual sweetness and smoked musk, like the after taste of the finest liquor served at the bar of an established jazz club. Now, blood itself made me feel like I was standing on top of the world but Kol's blood was pure power all on its own. He was rich and bold with a lusty burn, that elicited deep rooted desires within the depths of my heart and I groaned deeply as mouthful after mouthful poured down my throat, my fingers flexing of their own accord against the soft flesh near his thumb.

I tried to slow down but it had been so long since I fed that my instincts completely took over. I was intoxicated, unable to say no, that is until Kol jerked his wrist and I released him. He removed his bloody wrist from my lips and his hand continued to smooth back my hair as I breathed deeply and leaned against his firm chest. The discomfort I had felt before was gone and it was replaced by warmth that pooled and spread within the pit of my stomach. Slowly, I opened my eyes again as I felt him move away from my back and come to stand at my side. I licked my lips and glanced at him nervously to find him watching me with a smug look on his face and my lip twitched with embarrassment. I had enjoyed that, a little too much I had to admit, and he knew it, too.

"Thank you," I muttered quietly and cringed as the memory of the scene Klaus had put into my head crossed my vision. This time, I knew that I was thanking him for more than just the blood and I got down quickly from the stool and grabbed his mug to take it to the sink.

He followed me and leaned against the counter with his body facing mine. I turned to my head so I could watch him and he brought his hand up to wipe at the corner of my mouth with his thumb; he then let his palm rest against my cheek. I didn't move away as his head leaned down closer to mine, my eyes never leaving his but then his voice filled my ears.

_It's been fun, _darling…

I jerked away from his face but he was so close I could feel his breath against my cheek. "Why do you keep fighting me?" he whispered huskily and I swallowed nervously at how distraught he sounded. I didn't understand how Kol Mikaelson could sound so wounded over a simple rejection when he typically bounced back from them in spectacular fashion.

"I… I can't make the same mistake, Kol. I won't survive it again."

I felt his other hand cup around my chin and he guided my head to face him. I was trapped between his palms, forced to stare into his warm brown eyes. "Was I that much of a mistake?" He inquired and I felt a stab of pain in my heart, "Do you regret what happened between us?" I didn't answer; I couldn't, not without lying anyways, and Kol could always tell when I was bluffing. "Just tell me why, Olivia. Why do you keep fighting me?"

In a flash, I removed his hands from my face and darted upstairs and into my room. I strode quickly over to the bookshelf and pulled a box off of the center shelf to bring over to my bed. It was a white and gold treasure chest with golden lilies covering the surface and I unhooked the latch before tilting the lid open to snatch what was inside. I fingered the cream envelope tentatively, like I expected it to leech poison into my skin, the colour and the texture of the paper reminding me of the invitation I had received to the Mikaelson Ball. In a rush, I was downstairs again and I strode determinedly into the kitchen and straight up to Kol, who had not moved from where I left him. I handed him the envelope and he took it from my hand slowly, peering at it curiously.

"That's why," I simply said and his eyebrows furrowed before he pulled the contents of the envelope out and unfolded it. I studied his face as he read the words on the page. At first he was confused, but the more he read the darker his eyes turned in anger, his fingers pressing into the paper so hard that he left creases. "Those are the words that haunted me for the past one hundred years and no matter how hard I try, I cannot let them go. With every guy I have ever been with, or tried to be with, those words would appear like a slap to the face. That letter kept me from being happy, and I don't want to fight anymore, but the rejection that I felt after reading those words will follow me wherever I go."

Kol lowered the letter to look at me, his eyes still black with anger and without saying anything he turned away from me and began to rummage around the drawers until he found what he was looking for. There came the sound of wood dragging, twice it sounded before there was a crackle and then the sound of heat sizzling against wood, I watched him walk slowly towards me with a flaming match in his hand and he held my gaze firmly. "Listen to me, and listen well because I _will not_ repeat myself. You don't need to hold onto this anymore, the rejection was never real – and it never will be." In the other hand he picked up the letter and tossed it into the sink and then threw the match on top. The flame immediately attached to the paper, devouring the poisonous words that were written and together, we watched it burn until there was nothing left.

I didn't know what to feel as the glass window that blocked my happiness shattered before me and Kol turned to face me with an intense gaze. Before I knew it, he was inches away from me and his fingers were curled into the hairs at the nape of my neck so he could tilt my face upwards. My breath hitched in my throat and then his lips crashed against mine, claiming them with everything he had. I froze, my eyes wide, but there was a warmth blooming in my heart. My eyelids fluttered closed, my hand curving around his neck and into the part of his hair where he didn't put any product in, the place where it felt like silk. This was so much better than what my memories had recreated over the years; try as I might, I could never remember how mind blowing the pressure of his lips against mine felt.

My lips returned his frantic movements as my other hand snaked up and around the back of his neck to pull him closer so our chests were pressed against each other. His arm wrapped tightly around my back and he spun us so I was trapped between him and the counter, his hips grinding furiously into mine. I let out small squeals of pleasure at the friction he created and he sucked hungrily on my bottom lip, his teeth nipping at its plumpness. I opened my mouth with a gasp as sparks ignited in the pit of my stomach. Kol wasted no time as his tongue snaked into my mouth, moving in languid strokes over mine, eliciting a moan of deep desire, the desire that I had denied myself since the night of the Ball. 

I had forgotten how good it felt to cave into him. My fingers tightened in his hair as he continued his sensual assault on my mouth. He unwrapped his arm from around my waist and, afraid that he was going to break away, I tightened my grip on his hair, my knuckles massaging the back of his head and neck. He groaned deeply causing butterflies to erupt inside my stomach at the primal tone. I grinned in satisfaction against his lips and his hands curved around the backs of my thighs before he suddenly lifted me into the air and dropped me onto the counter. The abrupt movement jolted us apart and my hand dropped to his shoulder so I could keep myself upright, I was breathing heavily as I stared into his darkened, lust-filled eyes and my palm cupped the side of his face, my thumb pressing against the supple flesh of his bottom lip. He opened his mouth slightly and the tip of my thumb slipped into the warmth of his mouth. He sucked it gently, his teeth biting into the pad and I felt the hot slickness of his tongue swipe at the sensitive skin. I bit my lip and groaned before I pulled my thumb away and wrapped my legs tightly around his waist in retaliation.

Kol growled and pressed his lips firmly against mine, his hand knotting into my hair while he placed the other flat against my hip, his fingers sliding underneath the hem of my shirt to stroke my soft flesh. I curved my body, my hips digging into his and the fingers that weren't tangled in his hair were resting on his cheek. His lips worked feverishly against my own, coaxing out little sounds that only he could get me to make and I pressed myself against him in desperation, praying that this contact wouldn't end any time soon. A century apart and still, nothing had changed – my body still craved the heat that his touch created. It was like we had never been apart, the way we molded into each other, but there was a desperation to make up for lost time, a desire to make up for stolen kisses that were a century old.

Kol pulled away gently but kept his hands in place and I cupped his cheek with one, the other resting against the firm muscles of his chest, right over his heart. My eyes darted between his eyes and his lips which were curved into a satisfied smirk, his forehead coming to rest against my own. "Mine," he whispered as his thumb stroked back and forth against my cheek.

I sighed lightly with a small smile and then surprised myself. "All yours," I replied and he claimed my heart once again with a single kiss.


End file.
